1995 photo of
Eusebio (son of
Ursulo) and his
wife Conception
Perez with twelve
of his combined
eighteen children.
1968 on Hanna Street. Their seven children attended local
Gilroy schools and all attended college and established them-
selves in different careers. They include a dentist, teacher,
psychologist, dental hygienist, computer technician, and
entrepreneur. Uncles and brothers have all served with honor
in every branch of the military beginning with WWII. They
have fought every war the United States has fought since 1942.
T
he United States recognizes the period of September 15
to October 15, as National Hispanic Heritage Month,
celebrating Latinos, their history and contributions to
American culture. Initially the celebration began as a week-
long period with legislation sponsored by Rep. Edward R.
Roybal (D-Los Angeles) under President Lyndon Johnson in
1968. This was eventually amended to include a thirty-day
period sponsored by Rep. Esteban E. Torres (D-Pico Rivera)
under President Ronald Reagan in 1988. The start date of
September 15 was chosen for the celebration because it is
the anniversary of independence for five Latino countries
including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and
Nicaragua which all declared their independence in 1821.
Mexico, Chile and Belize celebrate their independence days on
September 16, September 18, and September 21, respectively.
Historically, Latinos have played and will continue to play
a crucial role in our nation. Latinos have contributed to every
avenue of American life since the inception of this country.
Latinos’ origins have played a key role in our country’s socio-
economic, political and cultural development that many argue:
What would America be like without the presence of Latinos
and their influence? Stephen Balkaran, an instructor in of
Political Science at Quinnipiac University, says, “The Latino
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
culture can be traced in the United States for over 500 years
when California, Florida and the Southwest were discovered
by Spanish explorers. Many of us are unaware that Latino
culture had firm roots throughout this region long before the
English arrived at Jamestown in 1607 or the Pilgrims dropped
anchor in Massachusetts Bay in 1621. Latino culture and
political development flourished well before the Founding
Fathers envisioned the idea of securing their independence
from Britain in 1776. Latino culture has helped to shape and
define America’s early political development and established
itself as viable presence in what was to be become the United
State of America.” Latinos have defined and will redefining
America and this might be because in sheer numbers Latinos
are 57 million strong.
Why celebrate and share our Latino heritage here in the
United States and what has been its impact on American
culture? And, you might ask yourself what are the contributions
of Latinos in the United States today? There are obvious ones
that easily come to mind. For example, you cannot pass a
street, town, city or state name without it being Spanish in
origin as Spanish colonization extended from California to
Florida. You may hear Latinos/Non-Latinos speaking Spanish
because in the United States it is the most often spoken lan-
guage, second to English. The Spanish language has also given
us a bunch of words that are Spanish in origin that are now
mainstream and used in our everyday life. Words like rodeo,
bonanza, corral, burro, vanilla, pronto and savvy are adapted
from Spanish that English has absorbed into its own. Latino
influence has extended into the entertainment industry and
has given us Selena, Carlos Santana, Jennifer Lopez, Linda
Ronstadt, Marc Anthony, Jenni Rivera, Benicio Del Toro, Sofia
Vergara, and Antonio Banderas to name a few. Salsa, rumba,
banda, the cha-cha has also changed the way we dance!
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