National Hispanic Heritage Month, 2001

Proclamation 7471 of September 28, 2001

National Hispanic Heritage Month, 2001

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

For more than 30 years, the United States has annually
celebrated the rich history and cultural traditions of
our Nation's Hispanic American people. National
Hispanic Heritage Month provides us an opportunity to
express deep appreciation to Hispanic Americans for
their countless contributions to our society and to pay
tribute again to America's distinctive diversity.

Since our Nation's founding, Hispanic Americans have
played an integral role in our country's exceptional
story of success. Hispanic Americans served with
heroism in every major American military conflict. The
Continental Army benefited from the valor of Bernardo
de Galvez, who led his frequently outnumbered troops to
numerous victories against the British. Luis Esteves
organized the first Puerto Rico National Guard and rose
through the ranks of the U.S. Army to become a
distinguished Brigadier General. And 38 Hispanics have
earned our Nation's highest military decoration, the
Medal of Honor. The United States academic and
scientific communities benefited from the contributions
of Hispanic Americans like physicist Luis Walter
Alvarez, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in
1986. Business leaders like Roberto Goizueta have had a
positive effect on our Nation's economy; and many
Hispanics have greatly influenced America's artistic,
legal, and political communities.

Today, Hispanic culture continues to shape the American
experience. More than 30 million Americans, about 1 in
8 people in the United States, claim Hispanic origin.
They contribute to every walk of contemporary American
life, while simultaneously preserving the unique
customs and traditions of their ancestors. All
Americans, regardless of national origin, celebrate the
vibrant Hispanic American spirit that influences our
Nation's art, music, food, and faiths. We also
celebrate the practices of commitment to family, love
of country, and respect for others, virtues that
transcend ethnicity, reflect the American spirit, and
are nobly exemplified in the Hispanic American
community.

The strong ties that Hispanic Americans maintain with
their ancestral homeland remind us that the United
States must pursue robust relations with its trading
partners in Latin America and the Caribbean. The future
of our hemisphere is closely tied to these
relationships, and improving trade will play a vital
role in building important links with our Hispanic
neighbors. Maintaining open and free trade creates job
opportunities and promotes economic growth, improving
the welfare of every citizen in every land it touches.
Thus, we will negotiate for freer markets, which will
allow us the opportunity to obtain better protections
for our hemisphere's environment and will promote
political freedom throughout the region.

We have a great opportunity before us. By working
together, we can achieve a fully democratic hemisphere,
bound together by good will, cultural understanding,
and free trade. The many contributions of Hispanic
Americans to our Nation will help us reach this
important goal by helping connect our country with the
Hispanic nations to our south. This month, we celebrate
the talents, culture, and spirit of Hispanic Americans,
which deeply enrich our country and bless our people.

The Congress, by Public Law 100-402, has authorized and
requested the President to issue annually a
proclamation designating September 15 through October
15, as ``National Hispanic Heritage Month.'' I am proud
to do so.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United
States, do hereby proclaim September 15 through October
15, 2001, as National Hispanic Heritage Month. I call
upon all the people of the United States to observe
this month with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-eighth day of September, in the year of our Lord
two thousand one, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and twenty-sixth.

(Presidential Sig.)B