[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 8382-8383]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             CINCO DE MAYO

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, on the fifth of May, 1862, in Puebla, 
Mexico, a fighting force of 2,000 peasants confronted 6,000 well-
equipped and expertly trained French troops, The French troops had come 
to conquer the small town. Instead, the peasant army prevailed, and 
their historic victory is celebrated each year as Cinco de Mayo.
  Today, millions across the Americas will celebrate the spirit of 
Cinco de Mayo. They will cheer the shared goals of independence, 
liberation, and freedom. Today, the people of North America are united 
in good will.
  Indeed, the relationship between the United States and Mexico is 
closer than it has ever been. We are neighbors and we are friends.
  Mr. President, 33 million Latinos live in the United States. The 
large majority, 66 percent, are of Mexican origin.
  In my home state of Tennessee, the Hispanic population has grown by 
nearly 1 million people since 1990.
  Hispanics are strongly represented in our Armed Forces and can claim 
more Congressional Medals of Honor for valor than any other group.
  The U.S. and Mexico are partners in NAFTA. Mexico is our second 
largest trading partner.
  The United States accounts for 60 percent of all foreign direct 
investment in Mexico.
  Mexicans living in the United States send about $9 billion a year 
home to their families.
  And more than 500,000 American citizens live in Mexico.
  So, today, I rise to recognize this historic day and join others in 
celebrating this day in this spirit. It teaches us a profound lesson: 
that freedom is a universal drive, and ultimately, freedom will out.
  Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I rise today in recognition of Cinco de 
Mayo, a holiday celebrated in Mexico and increasingly in the United 
States, that commemorates an important victory of the Mexican Army 
against the French at the Battle of Puebla. In my home State of New 
York and across the Nation, Hispanic communities--particularly the 
Mexican-American community--have embraced this holiday and transformed 
it into a day of recognition and celebration of the contributions 
Hispanics have made in the United States.
  Among all cities across the Nation, New York ranks 11th in the size 
of its Mexican population, close to cities with long standing Mexican 
communities such as San Diego, Santa Ana, and San Jose, CA. The number 
of Mexican New Yorkers counted by the U.S. Census more than tripled in 
the 1990s, increasing from 61,772 in 1990 to 186,872 in 2000. 
Currently, Mexicans constitute the third largest Hispanic/Latino 
population in New York State after Puerto Ricans and Dominicans.
  As the Nation's largest minority group, Hispanics are adding to our 
Nation's cultural richness and economic

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prosperity. Every day they are working and creating businesses in all 
sectors across the country. Today, one in nine workers in America is of 
Hispanic descent and there are currently 1.2 million Hispanic-owned 
businesses with annual revenues of $200 billion.
  Even as we celebrate these important contributions, Hispanics across 
the Nation continue to face unique challenges, including high 
unemployment, stagnant or declining wages, high school dropout rates, 
poverty, and lack of access to health insurance. The Bush 
administration's 2005 budget proposal fails to make adequate 
investments to help improve the quality of life for Hispanics. In fact, 
his budget proposal cuts funding for small businesses, fails to 
adequately fund the No Child Left Behind Act, eliminates funding for 
dropout prevention, and underfunds minority health care programs.
  The President's budget also provides tax breaks that benefit the 
wealthy at the expense of working families. That is why I have joined 
my fellow Democrats in Congress in supporting an agenda that increases 
investments in key economic, educational, and health-related programs 
to make America even stronger for future generations and will continue 
to fight for these key programs in the 108th Congress.
  I hope that today's Cinco de Mayo celebrations serve as an important 
reminder of the contributions of Hispanics and the need to support 
additional investments in programs and services that help them build a 
better future for their families and for our Nation.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize Cinco de 
Mayo, an important day in both Mexican and American history as well as 
a symbolic day to honor Mexican heritage.
  Cinco de Mayo pays tribute to the courage and strength of the people 
of Mexico and to the profound contributions Mexican Americans have made 
to our country's history and culture.
  The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that there are nearly 10 million 
people of Mexican descent living in my home State of California alone. 
Every day, Mexican Americans make huge contributions to our communities 
in every sector of the economy, in every level of government, and in 
every aspect of society.
  Mexican-American leaders such as the late Cesar Chavez, founder of 
the United Farm Workers Union, have left indelible footprints in our 
national memory.
  Organizations such as the League of United Latin American Citizens, 
the National Council of La Raza, and the Mexican American Legal Defense 
and Education Fund collaborate with government, civic, community, and 
other organizations to improve economic, educational, and civil rights 
for Latinos.
  Truly, a comprehensive snapshot of California would be grossly 
incomplete without full representation of the Mexican-American 
community.
  Many celebrations with traditional food, music, and parades take 
place across the country and throughout California on Cinco de Mayo. 
Hundreds of thousands will gather to embrace and celebrate Mexican 
heritage.
  Cinco de Mayo celebrations can be large festivals drawing thousands 
of people, such as those in San Diego, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San 
Francisco, and San Jose as well as small, more intimate events among 
neighbors.
  It is very much the same as the way we observe the Fourth of July--
both in the variety of ways people choose to celebrate and in that a 
specific historic event inspired the holiday, which has come to 
symbolize a much broader spirit.
  No one would want to limit the meaning of the Fourth of July to a 
narrow celebration of American independence from Great Britain, nor 
would you reduce Cinco de Mayo to a commemoration of the Mexican 
military victory in Puebla by itself.
  However, it is important to recall the bravery of the Mexican Army 
when France, under the rule of Napoleon III, sought to establish a 
political and economic foothold in Latin America by installing their 
own ruler in Mexico.
  Napoleon's troops, who had not been defeated in battle for almost 50 
years, entered Mexico with considerable technological advantages over 
the Mexican Army. The French Army moved west to attack Mexico City, 
mindful that if the Mexican capital fell, a complete takeover of Mexico 
was imminent.
  On May 5, 1862, the Mexican Army defeated the invading French forces 
in the city of Puebla under the command of General Zaragosa and Colonel 
Porfirio Diaz. If not for the great courage of the Mexican Army, the 
course of history would be undoubtedly altered.
  In my mind, Cinco de Mayo epitomizes what it means for immigrant 
communities to flourish, making their own unique additions to American 
culture.
  One San Francisco family, the Ramirezes, who immigrated to the United 
States from Jalisco, Mexico, in 1955, are truly an American success 
story.
  Ramon Ramirez and his wife Guadalupe worked several jobs before 
acquiring a San Francisco deli in 1967. Soon the space proved too small 
to accommodate their customers and in 1982, they expanded and opened 
Don Ramon's restaurant.
  I used to frequent Don Ramon's when I was the Mayor of San Francisco 
and I was always sincerely impressed with the Ramirez family. Ramon and 
Guadalupe still work every day at Don Ramon's, arriving before dawn. 
Their three daughters remain involved in running the restaurant, though 
their youngest daughter, Nati, has also pursued another career as 
director of the San Francisco district attorney's subpoena unit.
  This is only one of many examples of how Mexican Americans have 
helped our country to flourish.
  Finally, I am pleased to join every American and every Mexican in 
celebrating this important day in Mexican history. On Cinco de Mayo we 
pay tribute not only to the bravery shown at the Battle of Puebla, we 
also recognize the contributions of Mexican Americans to our country as 
well.

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