CHATHAM COUNTY 2009 HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, Hispanic Heritage Month is an opportunity to recognize the contributions of
Hispanic Americans and to celebrate Hispanic heritage and culture; and
WHEREAS, the observation began in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President
Lyndon B. Johnson; and
WHEREAS, in 1974, President Gerald Ford called “upon the people of the United States,
especially the education community and those organizations concerned with the protection
of human rights, to observe this week with appropriate ceremonies and activities”; and
WHEREAS, in 1988, President Ronald Reagan expanded the national observance to one
month, beginning on September 15 and ending on October 15; and
WHEREAS, this observance was enacted into Federal law on August 17, 1988, as Public
Law 100-402, which authorizes and requests the President of the United States to issue an
annual proclamation for National Hispanic Heritage Month and calls upon public officials,
educators, librarians, and all the people of the United States to observe this time with
ceremonies, activities, and programs; and
WHEREAS, this observance celebrates the culture and traditions of people whose ancestry
can be traced to Spain, Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean islands;
and
WHEREAS, according to the US Census Bureau, as of 2005, the Hispanic population in the
US was 42.7 million or 14% of the nation’s population; and, as of 2008, an estimated 12%
of Chatham County’s population is Hispanic; and
1
WHEREAS, all of this means that Chatham County is a multicultural tapestry that is home
to people whose combined ancestries link to many nations; and
WHEREAS, Chatham County, takes great pride in our cultural diversity with the Hispanic
community playing an important role in that diversity; and
WHEREAS, through a strong work ethic and a deep commitment to family and community,
Hispanics have enriched the strength and vitality of our community; and
WHEREAS, Hispanics have also contributed in the fields of business, law, politics,
education, community service, the arts, science, and more; and
WHEREAS, this observance affords special opportunities to become more knowledgeable
about Hispanic heritage and to honor the many Hispanics who have contributed to the
progress of Chatham County, the state, and the nation; and
WHEREAS, the Chatham County Board of Commissioners, the Chatham County Human
Relations Commission, and the Office of Human Relations continually strive to foster
mutual understanding and respect among all of our people;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Chatham County Board of Commissioners
and the Chatham County Human Relations Commission hereby join with the nation in
proclaiming September 15 to October 15 as Hispanic Heritage Month in Chatham
County and encourage our citizens to participate in activities to celebrate the contributions
of Hispanics to the County, the State, and the Nation.
PASSED, APPROVED and ADOPTED this 21st day of September, 2009.
_______________________________________________________________________________
George Lucier, Chair, Chatham County Board of Commissioners
2
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
SOURCE ONE
Ethnic/Racial Diversity: The overall, racial/ethnic composition of Chatham County is:
71% white, 13% African American, 12% Hispanic, 2% Asian and 2% other. The major
change has been an increase in the Hispanic population between 1990 and 2008. The
county had an estimated 564 Hispanic residents in 1990 and this grew to an
estimated 7,876 in 2008. The majority of the growing Hispanic population is located in and
around Siler City, but other areas are also seeing increases.
Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15 to October 15. The celebration began as
National Hispanic Heritage Week, which was authorized and requested by Congress in
1968 (Public Law 90-498). It was officially proclaimed as such by President Ford in 1974,
calling “upon the people of the United States, especially the education community and those
organizations concerned with the protection of human rights, to observe that week with
appropriate ceremonies and activities.” In 1988, a joint resolution of the Senate and House
of Representatives authorized the change to National Hispanic Heritage Month (Public Law
100-402). President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the change official that same year.
Hispanic Heritage Month falls in conjunction with two historic events: the Independence
Day of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua on September 15,
1821, and Mexico’s Independence Day on September 16, 1810. Chile’s Independence Day is
on September 18 (El Dieciocho); and Belize’s Independence Day is on September 21.
Additionally, October 12 is Dìa de la Raza (Day of Our Race), or Columbus Day, a
celebration of mixed heritage society that resulted across the Americas.
The Hispanic Emphasis Program (HEP) was established initially by a Presidential Directive
in 1970 as a Sixteen Point Program for Spanish Speaking Americans. It was designed to
assure consideration of the needs and problems of persons of Hispanic origin in all aspects
of Federal personnel management and program delivery. Hispanics are persons of
Mexican, Cuban, Central and South American or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless
of race.
3
Understanding the Hispanic Culture
Over the past 30 years, the Hispanic population has exhibited tremendous growth in the
United States. Hispanics comprise about 14% of the US population. Approximately 43
million individuals are identified as Hispanics. The US Hispanic population is the largest
minority group. Most of the Hispanic population is concentrated in four states -- California,
Texas, New York, and Florida. Mexican is the largest ethnic subdivision of Hispanics in the
United States, comprising about 63.3%, followed by Central and South American (14.4%),
Puerto Rican (10.6%), Cuban (4.2%), and other Hispanics (7.4%).
SOURCE:
http://www.la.nrcs.usda.gov/about/hispanicpage/hispanicemphasisprogram.html
SOURCE TWO
In 1988, Congress passed Pub. L. 100-402 (PDF, 58 KB), which amended Pub. L. 90-498 and
established National Hispanic Heritage Month. The President was again authorized and
requested to issue an annual proclamation designating the “31-day period beginning
September 15 and ending on October 15” as National Hispanic Heritage Month.
President George H. W. Bush issued the first proclamation, Presidential Proclamation 6021,
for National Hispanic Heritage Month on September 14, 1989. Between 1990 and 2007,
Presidents George H. W. Bush, Clinton and George W. Bush have issued annual
proclamations for National Hispanic Heritage Month.
On September 14, 1994, President Clinton issued Presidential Proclamation 6719 which
recognized the extraordinary contributions and culture of Hispanic Americans. On
September 12, 2007, President George W. Bush issued Presidential Proclamation 8175
proclaiming National Hispanic Heritage Month for 2007 and applauding the
accomplishments of Hispanic Americans.
4
Legislative Branch Documents
The public laws which designated a week and then a month for National Hispanic Heritage
are available in the United States Statutes at Large, which is widely available through
Federal depository libraries as follows:
Pub. L. 90-498, 82 Stat. 848: A House joint resolution authorizing the President to
proclaim annually the week including September 15 and 16 as National Hispanic
Heritage Week
Pub. L. 100-402, 102 Stat. 1012: To amend Pub. L. 90-498 to provide for the
designation National Hispanic Heritage Month
These laws are codified in the United States Code at 36 U.S.C. 126.
Executive Branch Documents
Presidential Proclamations and Executive Orders have been used by presidents to rule on
substantive issues of law; to administrate the executive branch of government; and to make
general announcements to the public. These general announcements that exhort the public
to observe a holiday such as Thanksgiving or honor a particular group of citizens as in
National Black History Month are usually issued in the form of a Presidential Proclamation.
On many occasions Congress will pass a law specifically requesting the President to take
certain action such as proclaiming the recognition of a particular group of citizens as Jewish
or Hispanic Americans.
Listed below are the Presidential Proclamations for National Hispanic Heritage Week or
Month beginning with 1974 along with citations to the Code of Federal Regulations or the
Federal Register, the official publications for Presidential Proclamations.
Proclamation No. 4310, 3 C.F.R. 384 (1974)
Proclamation No. 4385, 3 C.F.R. 65 (1975)
Proclamation No. 4459, 3 C.F.R. 52 (1976)
Proclamation No. 4516,3 C.F.R. 41 (1977)
Proclamation No. 4585, 3 C.F.R. 41 (1978)
5
Proclamation No. 4662, 3 C.F.R. 39 (1979)
Proclamation No. 4776, 3 C.F.R. 88 (1980)
Proclamation No. 4855, 3 C.F.R. 41 (1981)
Proclamation No. 4956, 3 C.F.R. 70 (1982)
Proclamation No. 5084, 3 C.F.R. 82 (1983)
Proclamation No. 5232, 3 C.F.R. 93 (1984)
Proclamation No. 5366, 3 C.F.R. 262 (1985)
Proclamation No. 5522, 3 C.F.R. 107 (1986)
Proclamation No. 5701, 3 C.F.R. 129 (1987)
Proclamation No. 5859, 3 C.F.R. 120 (1988)
Proclamation No. 6021, 3 C.F.R. 110 (1989)
Proclamation No. 6186, 3 C.F.R. 198 (1990)
Proclamation No. 6337, 3 C.F.R. 211 (1991)
Proclamation No. 6468, 3 C.F.R. 187 (1992)
Proclamation No. 6592, 3 C.F.R. 116 (1993)
Proclamation No. 6719, 3 C.F.R. 96 (1994)
Proclamation No. 6823, 3 C.F.R. 86 (1995)
Proclamation No. 6919, 3 C.F.R. 63 (1996)
Proclamation No. 7020, 3 C.F.R. 136 (1997)
Proclamation No. 7121, 3 C.F.R. 81 (1998)
Proclamation No. 7220, 3 C.F.R. 99 (1999)
Proclamation No. 7338, 3 C.F.R. 136 (2000)
Proclamation No. 7471, 3 C.F.R. 273 (2001)
Proclamation No. 7591, 3 C.F.R. 130 (2002)
Proclamation No. 7706, 3 C.F.R. 110 (2003)
Proclamation No. 7816, 3 C.F.R. 84 (2004)
Proclamation No. 7931, 3 C.F.R. 113 (2005)
Proclamation No. 8049, 3 C.F.R. 128 (2006)
Proclamation No. 8175, 72 Fed. Reg. 53,097
SOURCE: http://www.loc.gov/law/help/commemorative-observations/hispanicheritage.php
6