February 2-8, 2022: Chicano History Week

WHEREAS, Chicano History Week commences on February 2, 2022, the 174th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848; and,

 

WHEREAS, Michigan made history during the 1960s as the first state in the U.S. to officially recognize Chicano History Week; and,

 

WHEREAS, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, a document significant to the United States and Mexico, ended the two-year Mexican American War in 1948; and,

 

WHEREAS, Mexico was forced under threat of violence to annex most of its lands in the U. S. Southwest and gave up about half of its territory, including all of or parts of present-day Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Texas in exchange for $15 million; and,

 

WHEREAS, approximately 80,000 Mexicans lived in the ceded areas at the time, and were given the opportunity to become United States citizens; although the treaty granted protection of their property and civil rights and although subsequent adjudication in Texas, California, and New Mexico confirmed most of their rightful claims, U.S. citizens of Mexican descent in those ceded areas faced mounting pressure and discrimination as the years passed and as more Anglos moved into the region; as such, within decades, persons of Mexican descent were striped of their property rights and left with almost no land at all; and,

 

WHEREAS, the U.S. Government entered into a bilateral agreement with Mexico to initiate the formal Bracero Program in the 1940's which continued through the1960's and brought millions of Mexicans to the United States during labor shortages of the second world war to work in agriculture, the railroad industry, and automobile industry across the U.S.; individuals of  Mexican origin continued to face discrimination throughout the program, and suffered poor working conditions, unsanitary housing, and low wages, breaking the promises guaranteed through the bilateral agreement; and,

 

WHEREAS, organized efforts to combat discrimination against people of Mexican descent or Chicanos in the U.S. and in particular the Southwest formed in the 1960s and 1970s, and members of the Chicano Movement advocated for Mexican American social justice, composed mostly of younger Chicanas and Chicanos; the movement focused attention on the failed promises contained in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and other policies, while at the same time, prioritized educating the broader community on the traditions and culture of Mexican origin peoples, and also gave impetus to the inclusion of Mexican-American experiences in the teaching of U.S. history and culture; and,

 

WHEREAS, the contributions of Mexican Americans are an integral part of the story of our nation, and by gaining a better understanding of Chicana and Chicano Studies, we deepen our appreciation of the rich heritage that is shared by all Americans;

 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Gretchen Whitmer, governor of Michigan, do hereby proclaim February 2-8, 2022, as Chicano History Week in Michigan and encourage all persons in Michigan to learn more about the important role that persons of Mexican descent have played in the history of our state and of our nation.