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For Immediate Release:
September 17, 2004

Latinos and Anglos: Co-heirs of the Hispanic Heritage

by Senator Larry Craig

The cool September winds announce the beginning of a new season. With the rustle of the first fallen leaves, you can almost hear voices and music in the air, announcing the beginning of a great celebration.

At the same time the Central American countries and Mexico commemorate their independence, we kick off Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States.

It began as a seven-day festivity. In 1968 Congress resolved that the week including September 15 and 16 would be set apart to recognize the impact of Hispanic culture in the nation's life. But in 1988, declaring it an "honor well deserved," Ronald Reagan extended the party to a month.

His words still hold true - true as the fact that Latinos have made so many contributions, it very well takes a month to celebrate them.

Listing them would be impossible, since Hispanic heritage in U.S. culture reaches centuries into the past. By 1620, when the Pilgrims reached land that would be New England, a Spanish colony had already been established along the coasts of today's Georgia and South Carolina for nearly a century.

Hispanics are part of our history. In 1540 they gave New Mexico its name, establishing Santa Fe some seventy years later. They founded the first permanent Spanish settlement, St. Augustine, in Florida, in 1565, forty-two years before the first permanent English settlement, Jamestown. By 1860 they were working in Idaho's mines. In fact, Hispanics brought mining methods to the United States. And terms like buckaroo, from "vaquero," and lariat, from "la reata," are but a couple that have their roots in Spanish words.

Today, the United States continues to benefit from the energy, creativity, and ingenuity of our Hispanic population. This is a community distinguished by its warmth and affability, as well as its consistent commitment to strengthening family bonds. These are dedicated workers whose achievements demonstrate their perseverance and resilience - even in the face of great obstacles. Part of the Hispanic heritage is that optimism, which is really a reflection of a firmer and deeper faith.

The treasures of this cultural heritage encompass the joyful rhythms of their music, the poetry of their language, and the colors of their art -- the lessons of parents, the memories of times past, the stories and sayings of grandpa, grandma's dishes.and beyond.

This month, we also honor those who bestowed this heritage: the men and women who, with their example, inspire others to walk farther; with their words, to climb higher; and with their generosity, to share the abundance of that legacy - a legacy so vast that those of us who don't belong to the family are enriched by it. This is why we celebrate being co-heirs of the Hispanic heritage.

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