HOUSE MEMORIAL 29

50th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2012

INTRODUCED BY

Nora Espinoza

A MEMORIAL

LAUDING NEW MEXICO'S LONG HISTORY OF RACIAL AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND COOPERATION.

     WHEREAS, the people of New Mexico promote the spirit of diversity-with-harmony represented by the various cultures that make up the fabric of the state and of American society; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico's special blend of cultures engenders in its residents an exceptional tolerance and respect for people of all races and ethnicities; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico is justly proud of its national reputation for racial and ethnic harmony, exemplified by its numerous cultures; and

     WHEREAS, through architecture, music, food, arts and crafts, religious expression, holidays and other cultural events, New Mexicans share and celebrate the lives and histories of each other; and

     WHEREAS, children are taught from kindergarten on about the importance to the state and nation of the contributions made by New Mexico's Native Americans, Hispanics, Europeans, African Americans and people of other races, ethnicities and nationalities; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico's rich history is made up of individuals from diverse ethnicities, races and cultures, often working in concert for the betterment of the state and nation, including: the pueblo farmers who taught newcomers how to farm in the desert; the Spanish, Mexican and American traders who braved the rigors and dangers of El Camino Real and the Santa Fe Trail to bring progress and prosperity to the territory; the nameless vaqueros and cowboys tending cattle on haciendas and ranches; the hundreds of famous artists and writers who told of the wonders of New Mexico in paint and words; Robert Oppenheimer and the secret Los Alamos scientists from around the world who worked to split the atom and usher in a new world; the Navajo code talkers who saved countless American lives at Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Peleliu, Iwo Jima and every other area of battle in the Pacific theater between 1942 and 1945; Harrison Schmidt, the last astronaut to step onto the moon; and all of the ordinary citizens who love and support their families, their neighbors and their communities; and

     WHEREAS, at statehood, New Mexico recognized its Spanish-speaking citizens and wanted to ensure their full participation in government, so it required that state laws be published in English and Spanish for the first twenty years of statehood and requires, still, that constitutional amendments be published in English and Spanish, as well as, when possible, indigenous and other languages; and

     WHEREAS, the constitution of New Mexico protects the educational rights of children of Spanish descent and, although instruction in public schools is to be conducted in English, the constitution requires that the legislature provide for the training of teachers so that they may be proficient in both the English and Spanish languages; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico has had a long and proud history of being at the forefront of celebrating diversity and expanding human rights for all of its residents; and

     WHEREAS, as we try to teach children the importance of moral and ethical actions and the necessity for civility in civil discourse, it behooves us all to embody the characteristics we hope our children will emulate; and

     WHEREAS, there is no place in civil or personal discourse for racial or ethnic epithets or slurs;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that it celebrate the state's long-standing racial, ethnic and cultural diversity.