BILL NUMBER: HR 13	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Members Reyes and Romero

                        MARCH 10, 1999

   House Resolution No. 13--Relative to Latina History Day.


  HOUSE OR SENATE RESOLUTIONS DO NOT CONTAIN A DIGEST



   WHEREAS, Latinas were making significant contributions to the
development of California communities even before California became a
territory of the United States; and
   WHEREAS, Since then, Latinas have continued to make contributions
to the life and history of the United States and the State of
California; and
   WHEREAS, Maria Feliciana Arballo y Gutierrez, a Latina, who came
to California with the De Anza expedition in 1775 as a widow with her
two young daughters, was the first woman pioneer of the southwest
who was not a Native American; and
   WHEREAS, Other Latina colonists acquired land grants both from
Mexico and the new United States government; and
   WHEREAS, Latina pioneers were forced to endure all the hardships
of life on the frontier; they had to be self-sufficient, sometimes
even becoming the heads of households; they had to be their own
doctors, dressmakers, tailors, and advisors; and
   WHEREAS, Latinas were the social glue of the community, overseeing
the spiritual and physical welfare of their families, their
communities, and their workers; and
   WHEREAS, With the United States' takeover of the southwest,
Latinas suffered terribly, as they not only suffered many types of
physical abuse but also lost most of their land holdings; and
   WHEREAS, Despite this suffering, Latinas have nonetheless
persisted in their service to their families and to their
communities; and
   WHEREAS, Nowhere is this record of service more clearly shown than
in California's labor movement where Latinas have made vital
contributions that enrich the history of the California labor
movement; and
   WHEREAS, This record begins with Lucia Gonzalez, commonly known as
Lucy Parsons, and continues straight through to Dolores Huerta,
cofounder of the United Farm Workers Union; and
   WHEREAS, California's history is also replete with Latinas as
community organizers, as leaders in the mutual benefit societies, and
as grassroots activists, a role that led them directly into
leadership roles in the Chicano movement, and into participating in
the women's movement; and
   WHEREAS, Latinas, who have continued to be stabilizers of their
family, preservers of strong family values, and dedicated religious
leaders, today are also officers of firms and own their own
businesses; they are among our most significant doctors, dentists,
nurses, and health educators, as well as lawyers, judges, astronauts,
and policewomen; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the
Assembly expresses its support of all efforts that advance the roles
of Latina women, and that the Assembly hereby declares March 12,
1999, to be "Latina History Day," specifically calling attention to
the outstanding and numerous contributions made by Latina women
throughout history; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly shall transmit
copies of this resolution to the author for distribution as
appropriate.