2023 -- H 6534
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S TATE OF RHODE IS LAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023
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H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N
PROCLAIMING SEPTEMBE R OF 2023 AS "LATINO HISTORY MONTH" IN THE STATE
OF RHODE ISLAND
Introduced By: Representatives Sanchez, Morales, Alzate, Giraldo, Diaz, Shekarchi,
Blazejewski, Chippendale, Felix, and Batista
Date Introduced: June 15, 2023
Referred To: House read and passed
WHEREAS, Latino History Month provides an ideal opportunity to reflect on the 1
common humanity underlying all people and to raise awareness and foster respect for the heritage 2
and contributions of people of Latin-American and Caribbean descent; and 3
WHEREAS, American Hispanic/Latino history is rich, diverse and long, with 4
immigrants, refugees and Spanish-speaking or indigenous people living in the United States since 5
long before the nation was established; and 6
WHEREAS, Bringing with them traditions and culture from Mexico, Spain, Puerto Rico, 7
the Dominican Republic and other Latin American and Iberian nations, America’s Hispanic 8
population continues to grow, reaching a record 62.5 million in 2020, or 18.7 percent of the 9
United States population. From early Spanish colonialism, to civil and worker rights laws, to 10
famous firsts, to recent Supreme Court decisions, many notable events in United States Hispanic 11
and Latino History have occurred; and 12
WHEREAS, Thirty-six percent of residents in Rhode Island are Latin-American people 13
of color, including several racial and ethnic groups. The Latino population is mainly of 14
Dominican and Puerto Rican background, followed by Guatemalan, Mexican, and Colombian; 15
and 16
WHEREAS, The 2020 Census shows the Latino American population of Rhode Island 17
has reached 182,101, or 39.4 percent of the Rhode Island population; and 18
WHEREAS, In 1968, President Lyndon Johnson signed a bill designating the week of 19
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September 15 as “National Hispanic Heritage Week”; and 1
WHEREAS, In 1988, Rhode Island Latino Arts launched the first statewide recognition 2
and celebration of “National Hispanic Heritage Week”, and since then the State and its residents 3
have recognized Hispanic Heritage Week and Hispanic Heritage Month, and have continued to 4
celebrate Latin American ethnic and racial diversity that enriches and strengthens our nation; and 5
WHEREAS, In 2023, Rhode Island Latino Arts and Hispanic Heritage Month will 6
celebrate 30 years in the State of Rhode Island; and 7
WHEREAS, The contributions of Hispanics and Latinos to the United States are long and 8
storied, and history shows that the first known colony in America was not Jamestown, but the 9
Spanish colony of St. Augustine in Florida; and 10
WHEREAS, Latinos are Americans and they form an indelible part of the American 11
fabric; and 12
WHEREAS, People of Latin-American descent have participated in every aspect of 13
America’s effort to secure, protect, and advance the cause of freedom and civil rights, and have 14
stories that are an inspiration to all citizens, that reflect the triumph of the human spirit, and that 15
offer everyday people the hope of rising above both prejudice and circumstance to build lives of 16
human dignity; and 17
WHEREAS, People of Latin-American descent or Latin-American Americans have made 18
measurable differences in Rhode Island, in their communities and respective industries and 19
professions, such as: 20
1. Cecilia Rodriguez Saglio from Argentina, who helped found and became the President 21
of El Club Panamericano, a group of Spanish-speaking individuals at the International Institute of 22
Rhode Island, in the early 1940s, through this group, she helped connect the few Spanish-23
speaking professionals who were studying or chose Rhode Island as their home in the 1940s and 24
1950s; 25
2. The Ortega brothers, Zanoni and Gimel, who moved to Rhode Island from Mexico in 26
the late 1940s and became physicians at Roger Williams Hospital in Providence. The Ortegas 27
were the first Mexican family to settle in Rhode Island and lived here for the next five decades; 28
3. Dr. Dario Herrera from Argenina, who moved to Rhode Island in 1954 for a job as a 29
cardiologist at St. Joseph’s Hospital and the Hindle Memorial Clinic in South Providence. Dr. 30
Herera is an avid runner who founded the Ocean State Marathon in 1977 and later became 31
medical advisor to John Treacy of Providence College, who went on to win a Silver Medal in the 32
marathon at the 1984 Olympics; 33
4. Josefina “Dona Fefa” and Antonio Rosario, from the Dominican Republic and Puerto 34
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Rico respectively, who opened and were co-owners of Fefa’s (Restaurant) Market, located on 1
Broad Street in Providence, which was the first Dominican bodega in the State of Rhode Island. 2
Additionally, the Rosarios were instrumental in establishing the first Dominican enclave in South 3
Providence during the 1960s and 1970s, 4
5. Gustavo Carreno, Horacio Gill and Valentin Rios, the first three Colombians to arrive 5
in Central Falls in 1964, to work at Lyon Fabrics; 6
6. Osvaldo “Ozzie” Castillo, originally from Puerto Rico, who became the first Hispanic 7
Police Officer in Providence in 1974; 8
7. Jose Gonzalez, a Puerto Rican who, with his brother Roberto, co-founded the first 9
Latin American Student Organization (LASO) on the campus of Rhode Island College in 1972; 10
8. Victor Mendoza, from the Dominican Republic, who founded the Hispanic Cultural 11
Arts Committee and who organized the first Latin American Festival of Music, held at the 12
Temple to Music in Roger Williams Park in 1979, an event that attracts close to 20,000 people; 13
and 14
9. Roberto Gonzalez, who was the first Latino appointed to the Providence School Board 15
by Mayor Cianci. He was also subsequently elected as the first Hispanic delegate to the Rhode 16
Island Constitutional Convention, and later became the first Latino Judge in Rhode Island, 17
appointed to serve on the Providence Housing Court in 1994; 18
10. Marta V. Martinez, a Mexican/Chicana, who founded the Hispanic Heritage 19
Committee of Rhode Island and Rhode Island Latino Arts in 1988, and with a seed grant from the 20
Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, organized the first celebration of Hispanic Heritage 21
week. In 1991, the celebration became Hispanic Heritage Month, a 30-day statewide event. In 22
2023, Hispanic Heritage Month and Rhode Island Latino Arts will together celebrate their 35th 23
Anniversary; 24
11. Anastasia Williams, a Panamanian-American who became the first Hispanic in Rhode 25
Island to be elected to a statewide office as a State Representative from District 9 in Providence; 26
12. Luis Aponte, The first Latino and Puerto Rican to win a seat on the Providence City 27
Council, in 1998; 28
13. Grace Diaz, the first Latina to represent District 11 in Providence, in 2004. She is the 29
first Dominican-American Latina elected to State Office in the history of the United States; 30
14. Angel Taveras, a Dominican-American who became the first Latino Mayor of 31
Providence in 2011. He is also the third elected and fourth serving Dominican-American Mayor 32
in the United States; 33
15. James Diossa, a Colombian-American, who was the first Latino Mayor of Central 34
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Falls, and is also the first Colombian-American Mayor elected in the United States; and 1
16. Nellie Gorbea, the first Latina and Puerto Rican to be elected as the Secretary of State 2
of Rhode Island. She is also the first Hispanic to win statewide office in New England, and the 3
first to run for Governor; now, therefore be it 4
RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby 5
proclaims September of 2023 as “Latino History Month” in the State of Rhode Island, recognizes 6
the 35th Anniversary of Rhode Island Latino Arts and Hispanic Heritage Month, and extends 7
appreciation to the aforementioned persons for their contributions to the State of Rhode Island 8
and our Nation; and be it further 9
RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 10
transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Ms. Marta Martinez, Executive Director, 11
Rhode Island Latino Arts. 12
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