CHC CHAIRWOMAN CELEBRATES HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH
CHC Chairwoman Linda Sánchez released the following video in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs September 15 through October 15. To watch the video, click here:
FULL REMARKS
Hi, I'm Linda Sánchez, Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
Every Hispanic Heritage Month, we celebrate the contributions that Latinos have made to our country.
The Latino community is young, vibrant, and diverse.
The average age of the Latino community is 27 years old.
This Hispanic Heritage Month, I have a special message for young Latinos: get involved. Become engaged in your community – whether it's interning for your Member of Congress or volunteering at an after-school program.
You as young Latinos have a voice that needs to be heard!
In Congress, the Hispanic Caucus works to advance the priorities of the Latino community.
We fight for access to higher education, good paying jobs, environmental justice, and comprehensive immigration reform.
The issues YOU care about are what we are fighting for here in Congress.
For me, education has always been important.
Growing up, going to college was anything but certain. My parents emigrated from Mexico with very little money.
My father worked long hours as a mechanic and my mother as a teacher's aide.
Education was always a priority in my house and through hard-work, my parents managed to see all seven of their children go on to college.
I still had to take on burdensome loans that I paid well into my adult years. And had it not been for Pell grants, I would not have been able to get by.
Each of us is affected by what happens in Congress. You may be a young person interested in starting your own business or trying to pay down your student loans.
These are issues that the CHC cares about.
This Hispanic Heritage Month, let's celebrate our community by getting engaged.
We all know the numbers are there. One in every four children in America is now Latino. Each year, 800,000 Latinos turn 18.
Let's convert those numbers into action, so that we can be an even stronger Latino community.
El Mes de la Herencia Hispana es una oportunidad de celebrar la comunidad latina. La comunidad latina es joven y diversa.
Mi mensaje durante esta celebración es simple: necesitamos que nuestros jóvenes latinos hagan escuchar su voz.
Haz una pasantía con tu congresista o un voluntariado en tu escuela local.
Los asuntos que les importan a ustedes, nuestros jóvenes, son los mismo asuntos que nuestro Caucus lucha por.
Gracias y feliz mes de la Herencia Hispana.