[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 19]
[Senate]
[Pages 26976-26977]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                        HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I want to commemorate the 30-day period 
from September 15 through October 15 which was designated by the 
President as Hispanic Heritage Month.
  Around the country, and in my home state of New Mexico, Hispanics 
have been making outstanding contributions to public service, business, 
education, and to our communities. Hispanic Heritage Month signals a 
time of recognition and celebration of an enriched legacy, tradition, 
and culture that has been present in our country for over 400 years.
  We in New Mexico are well familiar with the fact that the Hispanic 
presence in the United States reaches far back to 1528, and in New 
Mexico to 1539. We also know that Hispanics have influenced greatly our 
architecture, food, clothing, literature, music, and certainly our 
family values. Many of our landmark cities have grown from early 
Spanish settlements; cities such as Los Angeles, San Antonio, San 
Francisco, and Santa Fe, to name only a few.
  Although we know that Hispanics make up the fastest-growing minority 
group in this country, and by 2025 will be the largest minority group 
in our national population growth, too many Americans still are not 
aware of the

[[Page 26977]]

historic significance and contributions of Hispanics in American life. 
That is why Hispanic Heritage Month is important as a recognition of 
the accomplishments and contributions of Hispanics in our country.
  There are countless, New Mexicans who have contributed greatly to our 
Hispanic community through hard work and the belief that one can 
accomplish what one sets his or her mind to do. Today I'd like to 
mention two of these individuals from New Mexico, who have contributed 
to their communities and have made a difference in my home State.
  At the age of 5, Mike Lujan was already contributing to his family's 
household income to help support his parents and 14 siblings. Mike 
encountered difficulties in high school and graduated with a 1.7 grade-
point-average. However, because of his determination Mike enrolled in 
college, sought tutoring, and this year, he will be celebrating a 
quarter century of teaching in the Santa Fe Public Schools. During his 
time as a teacher and head wrestling coach, Mike Lujan has been honored 
with USA Weekend's ``Most Caring Coach'' award and the national 
Jefferson Award given to ``a citizen who cares'' which is presented by 
a three-star general at the Pentagon.
  This past August, Mike's story was told in ``Vista'' a magazine which 
discusses Hispanic Issues and salutes Hispanics in a variety of areas. 
The article about Mike closes with a quote from him which says, ``One 
of the secrets for success is to remember your roots. Once you forget 
who you are, you can't help others.''
  The second individual I would like to recognize is Tony Suazo, a 
native of Canjilon, located in northern New Mexico. Tony was recognized 
as 1 of 10 northern New Mexicans, by the Santa Fe New Mexican, for 
their volunteer and professional achievements in the community. Every 
Christmas, Tony Suazo walks through the streets of Espanola, NM, in a 
Santa Suit, with a bag of toys thrown over his shoulder. He plays Santa 
Claus at the ``Put a smile on a Child's Face'' annual children's 
Christmas party. This party draws about 3,000 people, and every child 
who walks through the door receives a gift. Every year leading up to 
this event, Tony closes his business 6 weeks before the Christmas 
party. He then runs around town faxing fliers about the event and 
collects the toys, to be given as gifts, in front of local shopping 
centers.
  You see, Mr. President, Tony Suazo and his wife close their business 
down 6 weeks prior to this event and live off their savings during that 
time. He does not miss his lost income because, as his wife puts it, 
``His dream is to see every child, whether they are needy or not, have 
a toy.'' Tony has been awarded the Espanola Valley Chamber of 
Commerce's Man of the Year.
  These two individuals serve as an example of Hispanics who have been 
making contributions to our communities--believing in themselves, 
believing in hard work, and believing that they can achieve their 
goals.
  Mr. President, at this time let me just say a couple of sentences in 
Spanish because that is a very important part of the Spanish tradition 
in my State.
  Sr. Presidente, conozco solo una manera de rendir tributo a una 
cultura cuyo idioma es tradicionalmente sinonimo de identidad. El 
idioma espanol imparte un sentido de conciencia, historia y tradicion 
que en ingles, mi lengua materna, es a veces imposible expresar.
  Sin idioma no habrian anecdotas, y sin las anecdotas del dirigente 
Lujan, Tony Suazo y de un sinnumero de hispanos-americanos, nuestra 
nacion sin duda alguna experimentaria un vacio en la medula misma de su 
identidad.
  Let me just summarize that or translate it:
  Mr. President, there is only one way I know to pay full tribute to a 
culture for which language is often synonymous with identity. The 
Spanish language imparts a sense of feeling, history, and tradition, 
which my own native tongue of English often fails to convey.
  Without language, there would be no stories, and without the stories 
of Coach Lujan, Tony Suazo, and countless other Hispanic-Americans, our 
nation would surely suffer from the great void at the very heart of its 
identity.
  Mr. President, it is with great pride that I call on all my 
colleagues and on all Americans to join me even though I am a little 
late with this, in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month and to come 
together as individuals, families, and communities to learn more about 
this extremely important culture in our country.

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