RESOLUTION FOR BOARD MEETING OF OCTOBER 1, 2020
Title
RESOLUTION sponsored by the Board of Commissioners honoring National Hispanic Heritage Month
Body
WHEREAS, on September 17,1968, Congress passed Public Law bill 90-498 as a Joint Resolution which authorized and requested the office of the President to issue an annual proclamation to designate the week including September 15th and September 16th as National Hispanic Heritage Week in recognition of the extraordinary contributions of Hispanic Americans. President Lyndon Johnson issued the first proclamation, Proclamation 3869, the same day; and
WHEREAS, the dates of September 15th and September 16th were chosen specifically because the anniversaries of the declarations of independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua are on September 15th, and the anniversary for Mexico is on September 16th; and
WHEREAS, on August 17,1988, the law was amended by Congress to proclaim September 15th through October 15th as National Hispanic Heritage Month. The amendment became effective on January 1, 1989. President George H.W. Bush issued the first proclamation on September 14, 1989; and
WHEREAS, as of the 2010 Census, 25.5% of the population of Cook County are of Hispanic or Latino origin; and
WHEREAS, Hispanics of every generation have made contributions to the arts, education, mathematics, science, literature, technology, and philanthropy in this country and the world, and have served bravely and honorably in the United States military. Some notable Hispanic figures are Sylvia Mendez, Ron Rivera, Sonia Sotomayor, Ellen Ochoa, Carlos Juan Finlay, and Oscar Hijuelos; and
WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (District) celebrates the vast contributions made by Hispanic residents in our communities; and
WHEREAS, the District is committed to continuing to work towards diversity and inclusion, and recognizes the contributions of our Hispanic staff members, including the work that they do to serve the diverse municipalities that lie within the District’s borders; and
WHEREAS, in 1974, Rodrigo Garcia, along with fellow Hispanic engineers in the Los Angeles area, founded the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) with the goal of encouraging diversity in the field of engineering and paving the way for future engineers of Hispanic ancestry; and
WHEREAS, while the SHPE started out as a small group of motivated engineers, it has grown immensely over the last 46 years. Today, the SHPE proudly boasts over 11,000 members, with membership from more than 375 college and university chapters; and
WHEREAS, the SHPE has not only been a source of encouragement for aspiring engineers, it has been a source of inspiration for all minorities, proving that success has no boundaries; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, on behalf of ourselves and staff, do hereby honor National Hispanic Heritage Month and the contributions of Rodrigo Garcia; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Resolution be spread upon the permanent Record of Proceedings of the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago and that a copy of same, suitably engrossed, be presented to Rodrigo Garcia.
Dated: October 1, 2020