[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6755]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                             CINCO DE MAYO

  (Mr. BACA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, this week is the week of Cinco de Mayo, a time 
to celebrate the courage and bravery of Mexican Americans. Cinco de 
Mayo, the 5th of May, commemorates the defeat of the French Army, which 
outnumbered the Mexican Army in 1862.
  Cinco de Mayo serves as a reminder that the foundation of this Nation 
was built by people from many nations and diverse cultures who are 
willing to fight and die for freedom. The celebration is a symbol of 
pride, tradition and cultural awareness, a day telling our Nation that 
we need to come together and learn to respect each other's cultures and 
traditions in order to understand one another.
  I have introduced House Concurrent Resolution 85, which calls for a 
Presidential proclamation recognizing the struggle of the Mexican 
American people.
  To raise awareness of Cinco de Mayo on Capitol Hill, I have invited 
the Inland Empire Mariachi Education Foundation of Southern California 
to perform at the U.S. Capitol. This organization is dedicated to 
inspiring young people to achieve leadership potential and teaching 
mariachi music to young people after school and instilling pride in 
their culture and tradition.
  My daughter, Jennifer Baca, is one of the performers; and I am very 
proud of her. They have traveled from Southern California, and they 
will be performing here.
  We will learn more about the cultures and traditions of the Mexicans 
on Cinco de Mayo as we all celebrate together.

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