title
PROPOSED RESOLUTION
CELEBRATING HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH
WHEREAS, National Hispanic Heritage Month was founded to celebrate the heritage and culture of Hispanic and Latinx/e communities; and
WHEREAS, in 1968, Public Law 90-48 was passed under President Lyndon Johnson, which celebrated a week of Hispanic and Latinx/e Heritage; and
WHEREAS, with the approval of Public Law 100-402, the celebration of Hispanic and Latinx/e heritage was extended to a month in 1988 by President Ronald Reagan, and was enacted into law on August 17, 1988; and
WHEREAS, Hispanic Heritage Month was first recognized by Cook County on September 15, 2014; and
WHEREAS, the independence of the countries of Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador are celebrated on September 15, followed by Mexico on September 16, Chile on September 18, and Belize on September 21; and
WHEREAS, Hispanic and Latinx/e individuals have long been part of the fabric of Cook County, first being reported on the Illinois census in 1850 and reaching a reported population of 25,211 by 1930; and
WHEREAS, the Hispanic and Latinx/e population has now increased to 1,382,778 in Cook County; and
WHEREAS, there are more than 50,000 Hispanic and Latinx/e-owned businesses across Cook County and this entrepreneurial vibrancy has helped revitalize numerous communities in Chicago and suburban communities; and
WHEREAS, Latinx/e and Latino heritage is a mixture of many cultures and backgrounds. It is a mix of Indigenous, Afro-Latinx/e, Caribbean, Central American, South American, European, and Asian populations who share a heritage while maintaining distinctions in their cultures; and
WHEREAS, Cook County's economy has always been a magnet for immigrant laborers from all over the world and immigrants from Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and South America in particular, and Cook County continues to welcome and value the contributions of Hispanic and Latinx/e immigrants; and
WHEREAS, Hispanic Herita...
Click here for full text