[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 140 (Thursday, October 1, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2429]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. PHIL HARE

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 1, 2009

  Mr. HARE. Madam Speaker, I proudly rise today in observance of 
Hispanic Heritage Month to honor the culture, traditions and 
contributions of the Hispanic community both in my home state of 
Illinois and in the country as a whole.
  What began as Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968 under President Johnson 
was expanded in 1988 when Illinois Senator Paul Simon introduced 
legislation to lengthen the celebration to National Hispanic Heritage 
Month. Beginning each year on September 15, Hispanic Heritage Month 
falls during the independence anniversaries of several Latin American 
countries, and celebrates those Americans whose ancestors came from 
Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.
  Today, Hispanic Americans are the largest minority group within the 
United States. And throughout our history, the Hispanic community has 
made invaluable contributions to our history and national character in 
the areas of government and politics, science, business, and the arts.
  Of the 500 largest Hispanic-owned businesses, twenty are located in 
Illinois, including Group O, Inc. located in my district in the Village 
of Milan. I would also like to commend the President for appointing and 
the Senate for confirming the newest addition to the U.S. Supreme 
Court, Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, whose life story exemplifies 
the American Dream: that with courage, determination and hard work, 
anyone can prosper and achieve success.
  Furthermore, Hispanic Americans have made significant contributions 
to the defense of this nation through service in all branches of the 
Armed Forces. Hispanics have courageously defended the United States in 
wars from the American Revolution through the current conflicts in Iraq 
and Afghanistan. To date, forty-three Hispanic Americans have received 
the Congressional Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for valor 
in action against an enemy force.
  In Silvis, Illinois there is a block-and-a-half-long street with 
twenty-five homes that was originally settled by Mexican immigrants in 
the earlier part of the twentieth century. This street, appropriately 
renamed Hero Street USA, has, sent more than 110 men and women to serve 
in the U.S. armed forces, more than any other American street of 
comparable size anywhere in our country. Their unselfish defense of 
this nation and its values is representative of the strength, hard work 
and love of family and country demonstrated by the Hispanic community 
in the United States.
  Additionally, I am proud to have Joe Terronez among my constituency, 
who in 1967 was elected to the city council in Silvis and later became 
Illinois's first Hispanic mayor.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to continue this national 
celebration which was first started by the 100th Congress and join me 
in honoring the histories, cultures and contributions of Hispanic 
Americans during Hispanic Heritage Month.

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