Commissioners recognize Hispanic & Latino Heritage Month in Buncombe County

Press release from Buncombe County:

Buncombe County is proud and excited to officially recognize Sept. 15-Oct. 15, 2021 as Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month. On Sept. 21, the Board of Commissioners officially approved the proclamation that states, “Today we honor the invaluable ways Hispanics and Latinos regularly contribute to our common goals, celebrate their diverse cultures, and work toward a stronger, more inclusive, and more prosperous society for all.”

While introducing the proclamation to the Board, Commissioner Jasmine Beach-Ferrara said, “This proclamation celebrates all the ways Hispanic and Latinx employees shape our County’s operations. We can’t celebrate Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month without recognizing our community partners who help shape the fabric of our community.”

Accepting the proclamation on behalf of County employees and the community at-large was County Language Access Coordinator Aaron Vidaurri who stated: “There are other people from the community that can’t be here, but I want to share the hope that this proclamation is path to more inclusion of the Latinx community, and with that inclusion hopefully comes more action.”

For Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month reading list from Buncombe County Libraries, click here.

The proclamation reads:

National Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month

WHEREAS, National Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month celebrates the Hispanic, Latino, Latina, and Latinx community and highlights its countless achievements; and

WHEREAS, the celebration is inclusive of all individuals who identify as Hispanic, Latino, Latina or Latinx, which is a non-gendered pan-ethnic term; and

WHEREAS, many Latinx people honor the complexity of their identities and trace their roots to the indigenous peoples of the Americas, including the Arawaks, the Aztecs, the Incas, the Maya, and the Tainos, but also to Spain, the conquistadores and those who came later, as well as to the Africans who were brought as slaves; and

WHEREAS, we acknowledge that Latinos have always been a part of this land and have made significant contributions to countless fields, which have resulted in the advancement of our society; and

WHEREAS, today we honor the invaluable ways Hispanics and Latinos regularly contribute to our common goals, celebrate their diverse cultures, and to work towards a stronger, more inclusive, and more prosperous society for all; and

WHEREAS, our national character is built upon the centuries-old traditions of Latinx people that reflect the multi-ethnic and multicultural customs of their communities, while adding their own distinct and dynamic perspectives to the story of our shared country; and

WHEREAS, the Latinx community is integral to our community with business owners and residents alike who are proud to be part of the Latinx community, and are immigrants and non-immigrants, documented and undocumented, and are our neighbors and friends, our comrades and compadres, our family and loved ones; and

WHEREAS, Buncombe County works on a continuous development of mutual understanding, safety, and respect among all our people; and

WHEREAS, this observance provides for a great opportunity to increase our knowledge about Hispanic history and to honor the braceros, the campesinos, the artists, the organizers, the veterans, the scientists, the refugees, the healers, the elders, the DREAMers and the many Hispanics who have contributed to Buncombe County;

WHEREAS, this year’s theme is “Esperanza: A Celebration of Hispanic Heritage and Hope,” which invites us to celebrate Hispanic and Latino Heritage and to reflect on how great our tomorrow can be if we hold onto hope, ask ourselves “What kind of ancestor do I want to be?” and step into intentional action; and

WHEREAS, Hispanic and Latino Americans represent a significant and fast-growing demographic of  Buncombe County, growing more than 53 percent from the 2010 census; and

WHEREAS, five percent of Buncombe County Government employees identify as Hispanic or Latino.

NOW, THEREFORE that let it be proclaimed September 15 – October 15, 2021 as National Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month in Buncombe County and encourage our community to join us in celebrating the great contributions of Hispanic, Latino, Latina and Latinx people to our county, state, and nation.

Condado de Buncombe

Proclamación oficial

CONSIDERANDO que el Mes Nacional de la Herencia Hispana y Latina celebra la comunidad hispana, latina y latinx, y destaca sus innumerables logros, y

CONSIDERANDO que la celebración incluye a todas las personas que se identifiquen como hispanos, hispanas, latinos, latinas o latinx e hispanx, que son términos panétnicos sin género, y

CONSIDERANDO que muchos pueblos latinx honran la complejidad de sus identidades y remontan sus raíces a los pueblos indígenas de las Américas, e incluyen a los arahuacos, los aztecas, los incas, los mayas y los taínos, pero también a España, los conquistadores y los que vinieron después, así como a los africanos que fueron traídos como esclavos, y

CONSIDERANDO que reconocemos que los pueblos latinx siempre han formado parte de esta tierra y han realizado importantes contribuciones en innumerables campos, que han dado lugar al avance de nuestra sociedad, y

CONSIDERANDO que hoy honramos las invaluables formas en que hispanx y latinx contribuyen regularmente a nuestras metas comunes, celebramos sus diversas culturas y trabajamos por una sociedad más fuerte, más inclusiva y más próspera para todos, y

CONSIDERANDO que nuestro carácter nacional se construye sobre las tradiciones centenarias de los pueblos latinx que reflejan las costumbres multiétnicas y multiculturales de sus comunidades, a la vez que añaden sus propias perspectivas singulares y dinámicas a la historia de nuestro país compartido, y

CONSIDERANDO, que la comunidad de latinx es parte integral de nuestra comunidad con propietarios de negocios y residentes por igual que están orgullosos de ser parte de la comunidad latinx, y son inmigrantes y no inmigrantes, documentados e indocumentados, y son nuestros vecinos y amigos, nuestros camaradas y compadres, nuestros familiares y seres queridos, y

CONSIDERANDO que el condado de Buncombe trabaja en el desarrollo continuo del entendimiento, la seguridad y el respeto mutuos entre toda nuestra gente, y

CONSIDERANDO que esta observancia proporciona una gran oportunidad para aumentar nuestro conocimiento sobre la historia hispana y para honrar a los braceros, los campesinos, los artistas, los organizadores, los veteranos, los científicos, los refugiados, los sanadores, los ancianos, los DREAMers y los muchos hispanx que han contribuido al condado de Buncombe;

CONSIDERANDO que el tema de este año es “Esperanza: una celebración de la herencia hispana y la esperanza”, que nos invita a celebrar la herencia hispana y latina y a reflexionar sobre lo grandioso que puede ser nuestro futuro si nos aferramos a la esperanza, nos preguntamos “¿Qué clase de ancestro quiero ser?” y pasamos a la acción intencional, y

CONSIDERANDO que la comunidad americana de hispanx y latinx representa un grupo demográfico significativo y de rápido crecimiento en el condado de Buncombe, con un crecimiento de más del 53 % desde el censo de 2010, y

CONSIDERANDO que el 5 % de los empleados del gobierno del condado de Buncombe se identifican como hispanx o latinx,

AHORA, POR LO TANTO, proclámese del 15 de septiembre al 15 de octubre de 2021 el Mes Nacional de la Herencia Hispana y Latina en el condado de Buncombe e invítese a nuestra comunidad a unirse a nosotros para celebrar las grandes contribuciones de hispanos, hispanas, hispanx, latinos, latinas y latinx a nuestro condado, estado y nación.

 

Click here to view the proclamations.

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