25702 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS September 4, 1968 E·XTEN.SION.S O;F REMARKS A NEW FOCUS ON OPPORTUNITY­ ing over $10,000 a year have virtually doubled country-we find a great diversity in origin THE FIRST ANNUAL REPORT OF in 2 years in the Southwest. Spanish-sur­ yet a great commonality in traditions and named employees in top level Federal jobs language. They have also shared the same THE INTER-AGENCY COMMITTEE have increased 185 percent since 1963. problems and experiences as citizens of the ON MEXICAN AMERICAN AFFAffiS The Civil Service Commission has requested United States and in this report the term all agencies to place Spanish-speaking citi­ "Mexican American" is used as a general zens in jobs where their ab1Uty can help designatton. HON. EDWARD R. ROYBAL those citizens with limited English. As the Anglo American moved out into the OF CALIFORNIA Seven Southwest cities with large Spanish­ frontier lands of our Nation, the Mexican IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES speaking populations have been added to the American gave way as did the American model cities program which wm use Federal Indian. He lost lands which he had held for Wednesday, September 4, 1968 funds to improve urban living, including centuries; he lost his footing in his own com­ Mr. ROYBAL. Mr. Speaker, on July 30, housing and schools. munity. He became the governed in his vil­ There are many other examples of our lage. His language, which had been the 1968, the first annual report of the Fed­ progress, which have been reported to me by tongue of commerce, became a mark of the eral Inter-Agency Committee on Mexi­ the Inter-Agency Committee, and its Chair­ "foreigner." Suddenly this was no longer his can American Affairs was submitted to man, Vincente T. Ximenes. land or home. the President. There is much work to be done, but we The Mexican Americans were pushed into This report represents a significant have started to move, we plan to continue menial jobs as the years passed; their chil­ milestone in calling the attention of the to move toward full-fledged equality for all dren rarely reaped the benefits of education. country to the challenges, problems, op­ Spanish-surnamed citizens. There appeared in towns, villages and cities portunities, and achievements of the mil­ certain poor sections, or barrios-the ghettos ANNUAL REPORT, THE MEXICAN AMERICAN­ of Mexican Americans. Caught in a vicious lions of American citizens in the Span­ A NEW FOCUS ON OPPORTUNITY, INTER• circle, the Mexican Americans set the pat­ ish-speaking community. AGENCY COMMITTEE ON MEXICAN AMERICAN terns of poverty which their children, to the Because of the importance of the Com­ AFFAIRS, 1967-68 present, encounter. mittee's report, "A New Focus on Oppor­ LYNDON B. JoHNSON, El Paso, Tex., Octo­ Some moved to other sections of the coun­ tunity," I would like to include it in the ber 28, 1967. We are moving forward. Nobody try, to the Northwest, to parts of the East. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD at this point, to knows better than you know how far we have Their lot has not been much better. The be preceded by the statement issued by to go .... A lesser people might have de­ Puerto Ricans, for example, landed on the the President on receiving the report: spaired. A lesser people might have given up east coast to find that American citizenship on paper meant nothing to employers or INTER-AGENCY COMMITTEE ON MEXICAN a long time ago. But your people didn't give AMERICAN AFFAIRS up. They believed. landlords. They believed that they were full-fi.edged Mexican American migrant farm workers (Statement by the President on the Commit­ citizens of the greatest nation on earth, even make up more than half of the migrant tee's first annual report, August 10, 1968) if others didn't always treat them as such. stream in the United States. For example, The first annual report of the Inter-Agency INTER-AGENCY COMMITTEE ON they account for about 64 percent of the Committee on Mexican American Affairs, the MEXICAN AMERICAN AFFAIRS, migrants who come into the State of Mich­ organization we created last summer to focus Washington, D.O., July 30,1968. igan. They also are as far away from the the attention of the Government on the DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: I have the honor to Southwest as New Jersey. problems of the millions of Spanish-speaking present herewith a report on the activities of THE WHITE HOUSE, American citizens, is encouraging. the Inter-Agency Coinmittee on Mexican Washington, June 9,1967. The report is frank-it indicates that many American Affairs for the year ending June 30, Memorandum for: Han. W. Wlllard Wirtz, of these citizens still live in poverty; that 1968. Secretary of Labor; Han. John W. Gard­ their housing, their educational opportuni­ Respectfully, ner, Secretary of Health, Education, and ties, their employment opportunities, are still VICENTE T. XIMENES, Welfare; Hon. Orvme L. Freeman, Secre­ wen below anything like an acceptable level. Ohafrman. tary of Agriculture; Han. Robert C. The report indicates that there has been Approved: Weaver, Secretary of Housing and Urban remarkable progress in the last 12 months, ORVILLE L. FREEMAN, Development; Han. R. Sargent Shriver, in the terms of jobs, of educational opportu­ Secretary of Agriculture. Director, Office of Economic Opportunity; nities for children and adults, of housing; it CYRUS R. SMITH, Hon. Vicente Ximenes, Commissioner, shows real progress in equal employment by Secretary of Commerce. Equal Employment Opportunity Com­ the Federal Government; and it shows that w. WILLARD WIRTZ, mission. the Federal Government is now working with Secretary of Labor. Over the past three years, many members the community in giving real attention to WILBUR J. COHEN, of my Administration have had discussions the unique problems of our Mexican-Ameri­ Secretary of Health, Education, and with Mexican American leaders and others can, Puerto Rican, and other Spanish-sur­ Welfare. interested in their problems. They have dis­ named citizens. ROBERTW. WEAVER, cussed the value of our programs to Mexican We have now recognized, as a matter of Secretary of Housing and Urban Devel­ Americans in their search for equal oppor­ Federal law, that b111ngual education is a opment. tunity and first-class American citizenship. good approach to educating children grow­ BERTRAND M. HARDING, The time has come to focus our efforts ing up in a two-language culture. In the past Acting Director of the Office of Economic more intensely on the Mexican Americans 2 years we channeled $10 million to fund Opportunity. programs for bll1ngual and bicultural chil­ of our nation. dren. WHO ARE THE MEXICAN AMERICANS? I am therefore asking the Secretary of We are now making much better use of The~e are approximately 10 million Spanish­ Labor, the Secretary of Health, Education, our Spanisl\-speaking citizens in our rela­ surnamed citizens in our country, of which and Welfare, the Secretary of Housing and tions with Latin American nations. Last fall, six and a half million reside in the South­ Urban Development, the Secretary of Agri­ when Dr. Hector Garcia was addressing the west. In 1960, Mexican Americans represented culture and the Director of the Oftlce of United Nations in Spanish, another first, we over 12 percent of the total population in Economic Opportunity to serve on an inter­ had four Spanish-surnamed Ambassadors in the five Southwestern States; this group is agency committee on Mexican American af­ this field. the largest minor! ty in each of these States. fairs. I am asking Commissioner Vicente We have moved-through the poverty pro­ The Mexican American may be a descendant Ximenes of the Equal Employment Oppor­ gram, minimum wage laws for farm workers, of the Spanish explorers Cortez, Cabeza de tunity Commission to chair this committee. tighter regulation of farm labor housing, and Baca or Coronado. Or he may have recently The purpose of this committee is to assure by virtually terminating the bracero pro­ immigrated from Mexico and may very well that Federal programs are reaching the gram-to make life more livable for the Na­ be a descendant of the great Aztec civiliza­ Mexican Americans and providing the assist­ tion's farmworkers, most of whom are Mexi­ tion. Or he may be a mestizo from the union ance they need and seek out new programs can-Americans. of Indian and Spanish. that may be necessary to handle problems Spanish-surnamed Federal employees in­ There are oth~rs in the United States who that are unique to the Mexican American creased 41 percent since 1965-up 9,000 jobs, have the same features, background, language community. many in positions where they can use their and surnames. For example, there are Puerto I am also asking this committee to meet languages to help others who speak Spanish. Ricans, Spanish Americans (from Spain), with Mexican Americans, to review their The Post Office Department has added Mexi­ Central Americans (from Costa Rica, Pan­ problems and to hear from them what their can-Americans to its staff at about 60 times ama, etc.), and South Americans. Therfore, needs are, and how the Federal Government the rate it averaged in the last 120 years. among the Spanish-speaking Americans-­ can best work with state and local govern­ Mexican-American Federal employees earn- the second largest minority group in our ments, with private industry and with the September 4, 1968 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 25'703 Mexican Americans themselves in solving sons the community's very real needs had of access for the Mexican Americans and those problems. been neglected by the Government. During, to be free of interruptions in the time of t would like to be kept informed, at October 1967, however, through the medium two score and more of Federal officials at­ periodic intervals, of the progress being made.