Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
4 <br /> 1 <br /> 2 a. Hispanic Heritage Month Proclamation <br /> 3 The Board considered approving a proclamation designating September 15-October 15, <br /> 4 2021 as Hispanic Heritage Month in Orange County. <br /> 5 <br /> 6 BACKGROUND: <br /> 7 Hispanic Heritage Week began in 1968 under President Lyndon Johnson. President Ronald <br /> 8 Reagan extended Hispanic Heritage Week to 30 days in 1988. Hispanic Heritage Month starts <br /> 9 on September 15, as that date is significant to several Latin American countries. Independence <br /> 10 Day for the Latin American countries of Costa Rica, EI Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and <br /> 11 Nicaragua is September 15. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on <br /> 12 September 16 and 18, respectively. Dia de la Raza, recognized throughout Spanish-speaking <br /> 13 countries, celebrating Latin American heritage and cultural diversity occurs on October 12. <br /> 14 <br /> 15 In 1987, when Representative Esteban Torres of California proposed extending the week-long <br /> 16 celebration to a month, he noted that supporters of the legislation "want the Amerian people to <br /> 17 learn of our heritage. We want the public to know that we share a legacy with the rest of the <br /> 18 country, a legacy that includes artists, writers, Olympic champions, and leaders in business, <br /> 19 government, cinema, and science." Representative Torres' bill died in committee, but the <br /> 20 Senate passed a similar bill, and President Ronald Reagan signed it into law. <br /> 21 <br /> 22 The 2021 theme for Hispanic Heritage Month is "Esperanza: A Celebration of Hispanic Heritage <br /> 23 and Hope." The theme invites everyone to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and reflect on <br /> 24 how great tomorrow can be if we hold onto our resilience and hope. The theme encourages <br /> 25 everyone to reflect on the Hispanic community's past and future contributions. <br /> 26 <br /> 27 Annette Moore, Human Rights and Relations Director, reviewed the background <br /> 28 information for this item. She introduced Marlyn Valeiko, Language Access and Outreach <br /> 29 Coordinator, who is well respected in the community. She said Marlyn Valeiko found out that <br /> 30 there was a big need for masks in the Hispanic community and was instrumental in over 5,000 <br /> 31 being distributed to community members. <br /> 32 <br /> 33 Marlyn Valeiko read the proclamation: <br /> 34 <br /> 35 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> 36 HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH PROCLAMATION <br /> 37 <br /> 38 WHEREAS, Hispanic Heritage Month heritage began as Hispanic Heritage Week, established <br /> 39 by legislation sponsored by Rep. Edward Roybal of Los Angeles and was signed into law by <br /> 40 President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968; and <br /> 41 <br /> 42 WHEREAS, in 1988, the commemorative week was expanded to a month — September 15 to <br /> 43 October 15 — by legislation sponsored by Rep. Estaban Torres, amended by Sen. Paul Simon <br /> 44 and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan; and <br /> 45 <br /> 46 WHEREAS, September 15 was chosen as the starting point for the commemoration because it <br /> 47 is the anniversary of the Cry of Dolores, early morning of 16 September 1810, which marked the <br /> 48 start of the Mexican War of Independence and thus resulted in independence for the New Spain <br /> 49 Colony, now Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, el Salvador, Costa Rica, Honduras and Nicaragua in <br /> 50 1821; and <br /> 51 <br />