Bill Text: TX HCR67 | 2021-2022 | 87th Legislature | Comm Sub
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Designating April 6 as Tejano Day for a 10-year period beginning in 2021.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-4)
Status: (Passed) 2021-06-15 - Signed by the Governor [HCR67 Detail]
Download: Texas-2021-HCR67-Comm_Sub.html
Bill Title: Designating April 6 as Tejano Day for a 10-year period beginning in 2021.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-4)
Status: (Passed) 2021-06-15 - Signed by the Governor [HCR67 Detail]
Download: Texas-2021-HCR67-Comm_Sub.html
87R19318 KSM-D | |||
By: Schofield, Jetton, Ordaz Perez, Lozano, | H.C.R. No. 67 | ||
Cortez, et al. | |||
Substitute the following for H.C.R. No. 67: | |||
By: Martinez | C.S.H.C.R. No. 67 |
|
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WHEREAS, The many and diverse contributions made by | ||
Tejanos--Texans of Spanish, Mexican, African, and indigenous | ||
descent--have been fundamental to the history and heritage of Texas | ||
for more than three centuries; and | ||
WHEREAS, Tejano men and women were the founders of the | ||
state's oldest permanent settlements, including the cities of San | ||
Antonio, Nacogdoches, Victoria, Goliad, and El Paso, and they were | ||
the first to name many of our state's waterways and natural | ||
features; and | ||
WHEREAS, Legendary Tejanos of the Navarro, Ruiz, Menchaca, | ||
Arocha, and Seguin families played an integral part in the effort to | ||
settle Texas and negotiated peace with the Comanches and other | ||
indigenous peoples; on April 6, 1813, Tejanos were the first | ||
residents to declare for an independent Texas, and at the Battle of | ||
Medina that same year, they gave their lives in a bloody engagement | ||
with a Spanish royalist army that remains the deadliest clash in the | ||
history of Texas; moreover, in an act that was an important prelude | ||
to the Texas Revolution, Tejanos were the first to rise in defense | ||
of the Mexican Constitution of 1824, and such prominent figures as | ||
José Antonio Navarro and José Francisco Ruiz were signers of the | ||
Texas Declaration of Independence in 1836; and | ||
WHEREAS, Many Tejanos risked their lives and livelihood | ||
during the Texas Revolution, and its heroes include Gregorio | ||
Esparza and José Toribio Losoya, both of whom died at the Alamo, as | ||
well as members of their families, who were some of the few | ||
survivors of the battle; among the others who stepped forward in the | ||
fight for independence were the troops led by Plácido Benavides, | ||
who fought bravely across South Texas, and the men of Juan Seguín's | ||
company, who helped secure the decisive victory at the Battle of San | ||
Jacinto; later, Adina Emilia De Zavala led the effort to preserve | ||
historic structures at the Alamo so that the legacy of that battle | ||
and the entire revolution could be better appreciated by future | ||
generations; and | ||
WHEREAS, Devoted to the concepts of liberty and equality, | ||
numerous Tejanos were early and powerful advocates for free speech, | ||
freedom of the press, and public education in Texas; in the 20th | ||
century, that tradition was continued by such individuals as the | ||
journalist Jovita Idár, who called for women's suffrage and | ||
campaigned against lynching, the restaurateur and civic leader | ||
Felix Tijerina, who pushed for bilingual education, and attorney | ||
John J. Herrera, who won important legal cases related to school | ||
segregation, workplace discrimination, and other civil rights | ||
issues; and | ||
WHEREAS, Countless Tejanos have served with great | ||
distinction in our nation's military; the Medal of Honor, America's | ||
highest military commendation for valor, was awarded to seven | ||
Tejanos during World War II, two during the Korean War, and three | ||
during the Vietnam War; physician, activist, and World War II | ||
veteran Hector P. Garcia founded the American GI Forum of Texas to | ||
champion the rights of former Hispanic service members; and | ||
WHEREAS, The culture of the Lone Star State is inextricably | ||
linked with the contributions of Tejanos; they were the first to | ||
introduce rodeos, expert horsemanship, and the raising of longhorn | ||
cattle, which became central to the state's western identity; in | ||
regard to food, Tejanos combined the flavors and ingredients of | ||
Mexico and the United States to create Tex-Mex, the state's most | ||
iconic cuisine; Texas music is unimaginable without the | ||
contributions of such great Tejano artists as Lydia Mendoza, Flaco | ||
Jiménez, Rosita Fernández, and Selena, and the musical styles they | ||
helped popularize range from romantic ballads to corridos that tell | ||
stories of adventure and resistance; and | ||
WHEREAS, Throughout the state's history, Tejano men and women | ||
have been champions of social and political progress while exerting | ||
a tremendous influence on our way of life; deeply devoted to Texas, | ||
they have overcome injustice and discrimination to play an | ||
instrumental role in the epic saga of the Lone Star State, and it is | ||
indeed fitting that their contributions be officially honored; now, | ||
therefore, be it | ||
RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas | ||
hereby designate April 6 as Tejano Day, an observance that | ||
coincides with the date in 1813 when Tejano leaders issued the first | ||
declaration of Texas independence; and, be it further | ||
RESOLVED, That, in accordance with the provisions of Section | ||
391.004(d), Government Code, this designation remain in effect | ||
until the 10th anniversary of the date this resolution is finally | ||
passed by the legislature. |