[00:00:01]
EVERYONE.[Hispanic Heritage Month Proclamation]
AMIGOS.BU HOW'S EVERYONE DOING? GOOD.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING TO OUR HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH CELEBRATION.
I HOPE YOU'VE ENJOY, BEEN ENJOYING NORTH CAPITO AND ALL THE GREAT MUSIC OUTSIDE.
IT'S SUCH A WONDERFUL DAY TO BE HERE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.
TODAY'S ALL ABOUT HONORING AND CELEBRATING NORTH GUDA, AND I WANNA THANK THE AUSTIN LATINO COALITION FOR BRINGING US TOGETHER TO HAVE THIS MOMENT OF CELEBRATION.
AND IF THERE'S ONE THING I KNOW IS THAT WE DON'T NEED AN EXCUSE TO CELEBRATE OUR HERITAGE.
WE DON'T NEED AN EXCUSE TO HAVE A GOOD TIME, AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, EVERY MONTH IS HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH.
AM I RIGHT? YES, THAT'S RIGHT.
WE'VE CONTRIBUTED SO MUCH TO THIS CITY'S FOOD, ART, HISTORY, CULTURE, AND SO MUCH MORE.
AND WE'VE MANAGED TO CONTRIBUTE SO MUCH DESPITE FACING HARSH SYSTEMIC BARRIERS THROUGHOUT THE DECADES.
WE'RE HERE TO ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE THE HARDSHIPS THAT HAVE SHAPED OUR CITY'S LEGACY.
AND WHILE THERE'S STILL PLENTY OF WORK TO BE DONE TO CLOSE THE GAPS ON INEQUITIES, I COULDN'T BE HAPPIER TO DO IT ALONGSIDE THE GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS REPRESENTED HERE TODAY ALONGSIDE ME.
AND OF COURSE, I WANNA THANK EVERYONE HERE FOR SHOWING UP TO BE PART OF THIS, UH, HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH.
AND I ALSO WANNA THANK OUR, OUR CITY MANAGER, WHO AS I WAS TEXTING THIS MORNING, UH, FINALLY GOT THE GO AHEAD TO CONFIRM THAT THE HISPANIC QUALITY OF LIFE STUDY, WHICH IS WAS CONDUCTED OVER 10 YEARS AGO, WILL GET UPDATED.
AND SO I WANNA THINK, YES, A LOT HAS CHANGED IN AUSTIN, ESPECIALLY FOR OUR LATINO COMMUNITY.
AND I WANNA GIVE A SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO LORD THE ZUNI GOD FOR EVERYTHING THAT SHE'S DONE TO ADVOCATE FOR THAT UPDATE.
THIS, OKAY, SO NOW I'M GONNA DO THE OFFICIAL PROCLAMATION, BE IT KNOWN THAT WHEREAS HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH IS CELEBRATED ANNUALLY FROM SEPTEMBER 15TH TO OCTOBER 15TH TO MARK THE MANY CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY, WHEREAS GENERATIONS OF HISPANICS IN AUSTIN HAVE AND CONTINUE TO SHAPE AND UPHOLD EVERY ASPECT OF AUSTIN, INCLUDING THE RICH AND DIVERSE CULTURE FOUND THROUGH THE CITY'S ART, MUSIC, FOOD, AND SO MUCH MORE.
AND WHEREAS HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH ALSO SERVES AS A REMINDER THAT THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY CONTINUES TO FACE SYSTEMIC CHALLENGES WHICH REQUIRE LOCAL LEADERS TO ADDRESS THROUGH COMMITTED AND DEDICATED WORK.
AND WHEREAS IN RECOGNITION OF THE CRITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS AND CELEBRATION OF HISPANIC HISTORY, TRADITIONS, AND ADVOCACY.
NOW THEREFORE, I VANESSA FUENTES, ALONGSIDE MY COLLEAGUES, CON VELA MAYOR STEVE ADLER OF AUSTIN DO HEREBY PROCLAIM SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2022 THROUGH OCTOBER 15TH, 2022 AS HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH.
ACCEPTING THE PROCLAMATION IS PA THANK YOU COUNCILWOMAN.
AND BEFORE WE GET STARTED WITH OUR OPENING REMARKS, WE JUST FEEL IT'S ABSOLUTELY APPROPRIATE FOR US TO THANK COUNCILWOMAN VANESSA FUENTEZ, WHO'S BEEN AN INCREDIBLE LEADER, REPRESENTATIVE, AND ADVOCATE ON BEHALF NOT ONLY THE LATINO COMMUNITY, BUT THE ENTIRE AUSTIN COMMUNITY.
AND SO WE HAVE A LITTLE PRESENTATION FOR THAT COUNCIL.
I GAVE YOU REALLY NICE COMMENT.
THANK YOU WITH A GREAT DEAL OF LOVE AND REGARD.
I THINK WE HAVE THE BEST REPRESENTATIVES NOW EVER.
BUT, UM, I APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT YOU'RE OUT THERE CHITO, THAT YOU'RE OUT THERE DOING THINGS WITH THE COMMUNITY AND WITH US, AND THAT YOU ANSWER PHONE CALLS
AND, AND CHITO AND MAYOR FOR YOUR HARD WORK.
WELL, THAT'S A TRUE TESTAMENT WE'RE PASSING ON FROM THE ORIGINAL CHICKEN GORDON, NOT TO ANOTHER TEAM GOING HERE,
SO, UH, AS THE COUNCILWOMAN SAID, THE STORIES OF OUR LATINO ANCESTRY HISTORY, EXPERIENCE AND HOW WE'VE INFLUENCED CITIES ACROSS AMERICA AND CERTAINLY IN AUSTIN IS INSPIRING.
AUSTIN LATINOS IN AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY ARE 429,000 STRONG.
THAT MEANS THAT ONE AND THREE AUSTINITES ARE LATINO AND PROBABLY ALI OR GO OR EZ NOW.
BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, ONE THING THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THAT THE VERY FIRST CENSUS THAT WAS DONE HERE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS WAS IN 1875.
AND THE FIRST TWO NAMES ON THAT VERY FIRST CENSUS WERE WERE AND LIZZIE LOPEZ.
AND SO, AGAIN, WE HAVE BEEN IN A POSITION TO INFLUENCE OUR COMMUNITY.
AND THE OTHER THING, A LOT OF THINGS PEOPLE FORGET IS THAT OUR LATINO COMMUNITY COMES IN MANY SHADES.
WE HAVE SO MUCH DIVERSITY WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY, AND I THINK THAT JUST CONTRIBUTES TO THE VIBRANCY OF OUR CULTURE AND OUR QU QUALITY OF LIFE.
[00:05:01]
I THINK WE NOT ONLY REPRESENT THE PAST, BUT WE REPRESENT THE FUTURE BECAUSE 80% OF LATINOS IN AUSTIN ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 35.70% ARE LATINOS UNDER THE AGE OF 19.
SO THAT MEANS THAT WHETHER EVERYBODY ELSE IS READY BOARD OR NOT, WE DO REPRESENT THE FUTURE, UH, OF AUSTIN, TEXAS.
WE ALSO HAVE A VERY STRONG ENTREPRENEUR SPIRIT.
THERE ARE 60,000 LATINO OWNED BUSINESSES IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.
UH, AND LET IT BE SAID THAT LATINOS WE'RE SUPERHEROES BECAUSE WE DO EVERYTHING RIGHT.
YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT WE WOULD BE REMISS, WE DIDN'T TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO REMIND FOLKS THAT WE HAVE ELECTIONS THAT ARE COMING UP.
AND SO 35 MILLION LATINOS ARE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE IN 2022 HERE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.
WE HAVE 220,000 CITIZEN VOTING AGE ELIGIBLE LATINOS.
AND HOPEFULLY I THINK WE WILL ALL TAKE THE RESPONSIBILITIES AS LEADERS OF THE COMMUNITY TO REMIND FOLKS, UH, ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF VOTING.
AND THEN I'LL JUST STOP AND JUST SAY THANK YOU.
LET ME QUICKLY JUST, UH, ACKNOWLEDGE SOME OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE HERE.
OF COURSE, THE AUSTIN LATINO COALITION, ABLA, THE GREATER AUSTIN HISPANIC CHAMBER, ABLA YK, THE YOUNG HISPANIC PROFESSIONALS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTIN, LARA ROUND TABLE, LATINO HEALTHCARE FORUM, UM, MADO LASSO FRIDAY, FREE TO FRIDAY, HISPANIC WOMEN'S NETWORK OF TEXAS AVAN LAS NETWORK.
LATINITAS MAURA, ME POD LULAC WAS BETTER.
THIS ACADEMIC ALTE AT TE SOCIETY OF AUSTIN, AMIGO EASTSIDE GUARDIANS, A BTU, A ABTU PANAM ADVISORY BOARD AT MANZA EAST AUSTIN, THE LATINA POLICY COALITION, SAFE PALM SCHOOL COALITION, DEL VALLEY COMMUNITY COALITION, AND THE LIBRO TRAFFIC CANTE, AND MANY, MANY MORE.
THESE ARE JUST A SAMPLE OF WHO IS HERE.
SO LET ME TURN IT OVER TO THE MAYOR, EXCUSE ME, COUNCIL MACHITO, AND THEN THE MAYOR
WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, AND THANK YOU, PAUL.
I, I JUST KEEP MY REMARKS, UH, VERY BRIEF.
I'M LOSING MY VOICE NEXT TO RAGWEED, OUR FRIEND RAGWEED.
UM, WHEN I FIRST ARRIVED, I, I'M FROM LOREDO, UH, 95% LATINO CITY.
WHEN I FIRST ARRIVED TO AUSTIN IN 1992, UH, I, I MISSED HOME.
YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE WAS IT, IT DID NOT HAVE THE VIBRANCY.
THE, UH, AUSTIN DID NOT HAVE THE, THE VIBRANCY THAT IT DOES TODAY.
BUT TODAY, AUSTIN IS A, A LATINO CITY.
YOU SEE IT IN, IN, IN THE RESTAURANTS.
YOU SEE IT IN THE, THE, UH, THE MAC, UH, IN METE IN MEXICO, IN THE DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS.
YOU SEE IT IN THE PEOPLE IN THE HIGH SCHOOLS, AT THE UNIVERSITY, IN WAYS THAT YOU DID NOT SEE IT IN 1992.
AND IT'S JUST SO HEARTWARMING.
AND, AND REALLY MOST IMPORTANTLY, YOU SEE IT ON COUNCIL IN WAYS THAT DID YOU, YOU DID NOT SEE IT IN 1992.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE GONE PAST THAT GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT WHERE THERE WAS JUST, YOU KNOW, ONE PERSON THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO REPRESENT THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY.
TODAY WE HAVE THREE, UH, LATINO MEMBERS OF, UH, CITY COUNCIL, AND THAT NUMBER COULD GROW.
SO IT'S A VERY EXCITING TIME FOR LATINOS IN AUSTIN.
IT'S A VERY EXCITING TIME IN AUSTIN.
AND IT'S JUST SO HEARTWARMING TO SEE THE AFFINITY EVENT THAT THAT WAS HELD THIS MORNING.
I MEAN, THERE MUST HAVE BEEN 300, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE OUT THERE.
UH, YOU CAN STILL HEAR THE BAND THAT'S PLAYING.
UH, AND JUST THE CELEBRATION OF LATINO CULTURE IS JUST SO HEARTWARMING TO ME, AND IT'S A PLEASURE TO, TO BE HERE.
I'M GONNA BE THE BRIEFEST OF ALL THE SPEAKERS.
YOU SAY JUDO, THAT THIS IS AN EXCITING TIME.
IT IS ALSO ABOUT TIME, AND I AM JUST REALLY PROUD TO BE PART OF A COUNCIL THAT HAS GONE FROM A SYSTEM WHERE THERE WAS ONE PERSON, ONE LATINO, THROUGH A GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT, WHICH WAS A VERY ODD THING TO THE SITUATION WE'RE ON RIGHT NOW, WHERE THE, THE, THE VOICES OF THE LATINO COMMUNITY ALMOST REPRESENT THE QUORUM OF THE CITY COUNCIL, WHICH IS APPROPRIATE BECAUSE THAT IS A REFLECTION OF OUR CITY, AND IT'S BEEN EXCITING TO BE PART OF AND TO WATCH AND PARTICIPATE IN THE CHANGE.
AND SO MANY OF MY HEROES ARE GATHERED HERE TODAY THAT HAVE MADE SUCH, SUCH SIGNIFICANT CHANGE ON THE GROUND IN OUR CITY, AND IT'S JUST AN HONOR TO, TO HAVE BEEN PART OF IT.
AND WITH WHAT IS CONTINUING TO HAPPEN, THIS IS MOMENTUM THAT HAS TO CONTINUE IN THE FUTURE.
PRETEND, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAVE YOURS? SURE.
UM, I WAS SO TAKEN WITH THE MUSIC OUT THERE.
I MISS I MISS THE BEGINNING HERE.
UM, BUT I'M REALLY, UM, THRILLED TO BE HERE THIS MORNING TO CELEBRATE HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH AND TO BE WITH SO MANY LEADERS WHO ARE SUPPORTING OUR COMMUNITY AND ENHANCING
[00:10:01]
OUR COMMUNITY.UM, AND I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR WORK AND ALL OF YOUR ENTHUSIASM TO MAKE AUSTIN THE BEST CITY IT CAN BE FOR EVERYONE.
AND NEXT WE'LL HAVE COUNCIL BURKE KITCHEN.
I'M NOT GONNA SPEND A A LOT OF TIME, I JUST WANTED TO SAY IT'S IMPORTANT FOR ME TO BE HERE TO SHOW MY SUPPORT FOR YOU ALL.
AND I TOO WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU ALL ARE DOING, AND I RECOGNIZE IN AND BELIEVE IN WHAT YOU ALL ARE DOING.
AND I WANNA SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
I DO WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE HAVE CONSTABLE CARLOS LOPEZ WITH US, AND WE ALSO HAVE INCOMING STATE REPRESENTATIVE LULU FLORES.
UM, IN ADDITION TO ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY LEADERS WHO ARE WITH US, AND ALSO INCOMING JUDGE DENISE HERNANDEZ.
AND, UH, LAST, NOT LEAST LORD, THIS WOULD LIKE TO SAY A FEW WORDS TO, TO HELP CLOSE THIS OUT, BU DIAZ.
UM, I FEEL VERY PROUD OF WORKING WITH COUNCIL FUENTES IN ONE OF THE COMMITMENTS I MADE WHEN I JOINED THE COMMISSION OF THE HISPANIC LATINO QUALITY OF LIFE WAS TO UPDATE THE REPORT THAT WAS DONE 10 YEARS AGO.
AND I'M SO PROUD OF THE CONVERSATIONS AND THE LABOR OF LOVE THAT WE HAVE DONE THROUGHOUT THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
UH, AND TO MAKE THAT A REALITY, I REALLY WANNA THANK THE COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGER FOR FACILITATING THAT AND ALLOWING US TO UPDATE INFORMATION WE HAVE IN THAT REPORT.
AND FIRST AND FOREMOST, I WOULD LIKE TO ALSO THANK COUNCIL FUENTES FOR HER TIRE AND FIERCE ADVOCATE, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE QUALITY OF LIFE, MAKE SURE WE MATTER, MAKE MAKE SURE WE'RE SEEN AND HAPPY HISPANIC HERITAGE, MAN.
AND THE LAST THING I'LL SAY IS THAT TONIGHT WE ARE COMMEMORATING THE END OF HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH WITH OUR ANNUAL AB ONE OR GU AWARDS WHERE WE WILL RECOGNIZE 42 LATINO ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS WHO CONTINUE TO LEAD BY EXAMPLE AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE RICH CULTURAL HISTORY AND WORK, UH, HERE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.
I'M HAPPY TO SAY THAT COUNCIL MEMBER CHITO VELA IS ONE OF OUR HONOREE AND FINALISTS, AND OF COURSE, COUNCIL MEMBER VANESSA FUENTES, UH, WON THE AWARD LAST YEAR.
AND I WANT TO THANK, UH, BOTH THE MAYOR, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN, THE MAYOR, PRO TIM, UH, FOR BEING STRONG SUPPORTERS OF OUR ANNUAL EVENT AND SPONSOR.
I HOPE YOU GUYS COME OUT AND JOIN US TONIGHT.
UH, THE EVENT STARTS AT SIX O'CLOCK.
WE'LL BE THERE UNTIL THEY KICK US OUT, I'M SURE.
UH, BUT IT'S GONNA BE AT THE CAPITAL VENUE AND IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO LIFT EACH OTHER UP AND CELEBRATE THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF LATINOS HERE IN AUSTIN.
AND I'M VERY PROUD OF OUR CITY.
THE FACT THAT WE TAKE THE TIME TO RECOGNIZE THE DIVERSITY THAT MAKES UP THE VIBRANCY AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE HERE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.
WE'RE GONNA TAKE A GROUP PICTURE.
A GROUP PHOTO, RIGHT, RIGHT IN FRONT.
AND HE WAS REAL QUICK TO ADVISE.