[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Page 23345]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


                        HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, every year since 1968, in the period 
between September 15 and October 15, our Nation observes Hispanic 
Heritage Month. This month-long celebration offers us a special 
opportunity to reflect on and pay tribute to the innumerable ways that 
Hispanic Americans, and Hispanic culture, enrich both our daily lives 
and the diverse heritage of the Nation.
  According to the Census Bureau, some 38 million Hispanic Americans 
today live in the United States--and increasingly, in every corner of 
the United States. While many Hispanic Americans choose to live in 
parts of the country with proud and long-established Hispanic 
traditions; others are finding work, raising families and building 
vigorous Hispanic communities in places where, until recently, they did 
not exist or were little noticed. In politics, the arts, the media, 
sports, our colleges and universities, Hispanic Americans are a vital 
presence--architects of the American spirit. Even our taste in food 
reflects the degree to which Hispanic traditions are now woven into the 
fabric of our lives: tortillas are as much a staple of the national 
diet as pizza and bagels, and salsa has ended the reign of ketchup as 
the nation's most popular condiment.
  Hispanic Americans bring to American life not one culture but many. 
Their roots reach to Central and South America and the Caribbean, and 
beyond, to Europe and Africa; every community enriches a great, 
underlying cultural foundation with its own distinctive variations. My 
own State of Maryland offers a brilliant example. There are some 
228,000 Hispanic Americans in the State, a number that has increased by 
82 percent since the 1990 census. Marylanders today are fortunate to 
have co-workers and neighbors from Europe, Africa, South and Central 
America and close cultural ties to the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal. 
From Puerto Ricans in New York to the Mexican communities of 
California, Hispanic Americans are changing the face of America and 
teaching us to celebrate the glory of the multi-faith, multi-cultural 
family that constitutes this great country. In my own State of 
Maryland, there are 228,000 Hispanic Americans, an increase of more 
than 82 percent since 1990, and they come from at least a dozen 
countries. In every county in Maryland, from the Eastern Shore to the 
western reaches of the State, Hispanic Americans have found a home.
  Nonetheless, across the country Hispanic Americans face numerous 
challenges. Eager to work, too often they can find only low-paying 
jobs; the income level of Hispanic households is on average $15,000 
less than that of white households, and almost one-third of Hispanic 
Americans live below the official poverty line. While Hispanics make up 
about 13 percent of the U.S. population, a study by the Hispanic 
Association on Corporate Responsibility found that Hispanics account 
for only 4.6 percent of U.S. firms' company officials and managers. 
Despite a 10 percent increase in population in just the last two years, 
Hispanic voting participation remains worryingly static.
  In the great tradition of newcomers to the United States, Hispanic 
Americans come in search of better lives, decent jobs, and a chance to 
raise their families in peace and prosperity. Many of us in the 
Congress, whose families came here in an earlier time for just those 
reasons, know full well what that means. As public servants we have an 
opportunity, and indeed I would say an obligation, to ensure that every 
generation of Americans has access to the opportunities that were given 
to us. In doing so we keep our Nation on course to achieving the 
principles set out in the founding documents of our Nation.
  We must not let language or economic or social status stand in the 
way of the full participation of all our people in our community life, 
and we must not permit these factors to become a barrier to our public 
institutions and services. In the history of this country no 
opportunity has been more important than the chance to go to school--
important to the individual, with incalculable benefits to the society 
as a whole. That is why I have cosponsored S. 1545, the Development, 
Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, which would make it 
easier for States to provide in-state tuition status to students 
without regard to immigration status, and allow some immigrant students 
who have been in this country for five years or more to apply for legal 
status. It is my hope that for thousands of our newest Americans the 
DREAM Act will prove to be an important step along the way to living a 
rewarding and productive life.
  As Hispanic Americans move proudly into the mainstream of American 
life, Hispanic Heritage Month is our time to celebrate all their 
accomplishments and contributions and to commit us anew to ensuring 
that all Americans have access to the wondrous opportunities our Nation 
offers.

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