RESOLUTION FOR BOARD MEETING OF OCTOBER 15, 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, founded in 1979, the Hispanic American Construction Industry Association (HACIA) fights for equal opportunities in the construction industry for Hispanic employees and companies. To assist it members in being competitive candidates for employment, HACIA provides training to support them with improving both their work product and their professional image. Today, HACIA proudly has over 300 members; and
WHEREAS, HACIA is an enthusiastic leader in the fight for opportunities for both minority owned and women owned companies throughout the Midwest; and
WHEREAS, in addition to being a valuable resource for individuals and companies in the construction industry, HACIA also seeks to encourage students to pursue careers in construction related fields by sponsoring them through the award of scholarships. The HACIA Scholarship and Education Foundation seeks to ensure future diversity in the fields of technology, architecture, engineering, construction, and professional services industries by promoting equal access to resources including education and training; and
WHEREAS, local organizations such as the University of Illinois at Chicago’s (UIC) Latin@s Gaining Access to Networks for Advancement in Science (L@S GANAS) Program, focuses on building an essential science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) pipeline for first generation students of color; and
WHEREAS, L@S GANAS was created in 2016 with a Hispanic Serving Institution STEM grant from the U.S. Department of Education to ensure that Latino students in STEM succeed at UIC; and
WHEREAS, L@S GANAS seeks to increase the number of Latino professionals in the STEM field and provides professional development and research experience, with a focus on retention, graduation, internships, and job placement; 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
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 the Hispanic American Construction Industry Association and the University of Illinois at Chicago L@S GANAS organization.
Dated: October 15, 2020