WHEREAS, Chicano Heritage Month is celebrated in August to recognize the significant contributions of Mexican Americans to the history of the United States; and

WHEREAS, In 2021, the City of Santa Ana, California, became the first major city in the United States to declare August as “Chicano Heritage Month”; and

WHEREAS, “Chicano” or “Chicana” are sometimes used interchangeably with “Mexican American,” although the terms have different meanings for different people. Nonetheless, “Chicano” and “Chicana” were reclaimed by ethnic Mexicans in the 1960s and 1970s to express political empowerment, ethnic solidarity, and pride in being of Indigenous descent; and

WHEREAS, The Chicano Movement was a social and political movement in the United States inspired by prior acts of resistance among people of Mexican descent that worked to embrace a Chicano/Chicana identity and world view that combated structural racism, encouraged cultural revitalization, and achieved community empowerment by rejecting assimilation. Examples of this movement are shown through the advocacy work of individuals such as Vickie Castro, Ruben Salazar, Corky Gonzales, Sylvia Mendez, Dolores Huerta, and countless others; and

WHEREAS, The Chicano Movement was influenced by the Black Power movement, and both movements held similar objectives of community empowerment and liberation while also calling for Black-Brown unity; and

WHEREAS, According to the 2019 American Community Survey, people from Mexico comprised 11.3 percent of the foreign-born population in the United States. Chicanos/Chicanas have been a long-standing part of the culture of the United States, with an undeniable influence in education, public safety, infrastructure, economic development, culinary arts, and governance; and

WHEREAS, The Chicano population grew from 3 million in 1940 to over 20 million in 2000. When all Latinos are counted, that number jumps to over 30 million in California; and

WHEREAS, This year, Latinos are projected to make up 42 percent of California’s population and Chicanos and Chicanas form a significant part of that group; and

WHEREAS, Chicano and Chicana students remain underrepresented in the University of California and California State University systems. In 2015, only 13 out of every 100 Mexican American women and 11 out of every 100 men earned a bachelor’s degree; and

WHEREAS, According to State Department of Education statistics, over three million Chicano/Latino students are enrolled in California’s public K–12 schools. To put that into perspective, that is over 55 percent of total enrollment as of the 2024–25 school year; and

WHEREAS, Latino lawmakers hold 44 seats in the California State Legislature: 30 in the Assembly and 14 in the Senate; and

WHEREAS, Chicanos/Chicanas represent a significant and rapidly growing demographic and we honor their invaluable accomplishments and contributions; now, therefore, be it