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Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao
Hispanic Heritage
Month
October 2, 2001
I want to thank everyone who has done so much to make this event a
success - especially Fred Juarbe and Ivonne Cervoni. Fred, congratulations on
your confirmation as Assistant Secretary for Veterans' Employment and Training.
We are privileged to have you serving America's veterans at the Department of
Labor.
I also want to welcome our distinguished guests - William Rafael Gil,
Gloria Gutierrez and Marta Brito Perez. We are also privileged to have students
from John Quincy Adams Elementary School and Bell Multicultural School, as well
as several interns from the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.
Thank you all for coming.
Each year at the Department of Labor we have the opportunity to
celebrate the outstanding contributions of the Hispanic American community. It
is a time to pay tribute to those Americans - from high-tech to Hollywood to
government service - who are enriching the cultural diversity and economic
strength of our nation.
I want to especially recognize today the1,000 talented men and women of
Hispanic-descent serving at the Department of Labor. They include seven members
of the Senior Executive Service. Behind these executives are 20 more
professionals - all Hispanic-Americans now employed as GS-15's. And behind
them are thousands of Hispanic-Americans who are just as determined to
reach higher and go further than those who went before.
These dynamic individuals lead some of our most important initiatives,
manage our workforce, develop our training programs, and oversee the statistics
our leaders need to make the best decisions for the American workforce.
Hispanic Americans are valuable partners in President George W. Bush's
mission to create a more promising and secure future for every American. To
achieve this, President Bush is reforming America's schools to encourage
academic excellence and opportunity for every Hispanic student. He is working
with Mexico's President Vicente Fox to expand opportunities in America and
across the border. And he is working to protect our way of life and get America
back to work.
Amidst the devastating images of September 11th, we saw the best that
America has to offer. We saw people from every walk of life coming together -
to grieve, to pray, and to rebuild the strength of America. We saw the heart of
a good nation exercising the acts of courage and compassion.
And we discovered new heroes, many of them from the Hispanic American
community. Ordinary men and women who carried out extraordinary acts with
extraordinary courage. People instinctively running toward danger. People
staying by the side of an injured stranger. Sadly, as many of you know, a lot
of these heroes never returned home. It is estimated that 20 percent of the
victims in New York - 1,171 people - are Hispanic.
We still don't know a lot about the firefighters who lost their lives
trying to save others, but we do know some of their names - Michael and
Francis Esposito, Gregory Saucedo, Charles Mendez, Sergio Villanueva, Jose
Guadalupe, Anthony Rodriguez and Angel Juarbe, Jr. Their families are in our
thoughts and prayers.
We've also heard inspiring stories. A team of rescue workers from Mexico
drove 58 hours straight in their own car - without pay - to help Americans they
had never met in a city they had never before visited. One of the workers said,
"When the United States needs help, the people of Mexico come. We are
brothers."
These are the values found in every small business owner and corporate
executive, every schoolteacher and government leader of Hispanic descent: the
values of hard work, self-sacrifice, and a love of family and faith. In times
of need, the Hispanic community is always there - ready to lend a helping hand.
On behalf of President George W. Bush, I want to thank the entire
community for the tremendous courage and compassion you have shown these past
three weeks. I know that you will continue to stand with our President and
America as we work to defeat terrorism and keep our nation strong.
Thank you. May God bless America.
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