Fiscal Note
No fiscal impact.
Title
Recognizing September 15, 2024, through October 15, 2024, as Hispanic Heritage Month
Body
WHEREAS, each year, the United States recognizes the economic, cultural, and social contributions that Hispanic/Latinx/e peoples have brought to our nation; and,
WHEREAS, the rich and distinctive culture of the Hispanic/Latinx/e community has always been an integral part of our country's identity; and,
WHEREAS, this month represents the anniversary of independence for Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, México, and Nicaragua; and,
WHEREAS, Hispanic Heritage Month extends to October as October 12th is Día de la Raza; and,
WHEREAS, according to United Nations, there are 826 different Indigenous groups in Latin America and the Caribbean; and,
WHEREAS, many Latinx/e in the American continent are the descendants of Indigenous groups and their diverse tribes, such as the Arawak (Colombia and Venezuela), Aztecs/Mayans (Mexico and Central America), the Incas (South America), and the Taino (Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Jamaica), in addition to the many Latinx/e who share additional cultural roots, including African or Afro-Latinx/e and Asian-Latinx/e; and,
WHEREAS, some Latinx/e have lost the ability to speak ancestral native languages such as Quechua, Quiche, Nahuatl, Aymara, and others as these languages were replaced by the Spanish language during the colonialization of present day Central and South American and Caribbean countries, while others have lost or never acquired the ability to speak Spanish due to language suppression efforts here in the United States, where Latinx/e are still told to “speak English” despite the fact that the U.S. has no official language and that Spanish was the first non-native language spoken on the American continent; and,
WHEREAS, one-third of the present-day United States was internationally recognized as Mexico prior to the end of the Mexican-American war i...
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