H.R. No. 79
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, June 15, 2016, will mark 28 years since the passing
of William C. Velasquez, founder of the Southwest Voter
Registration Education Project, and this solemn anniversary offers
a fitting opportunity to pay tribute to the achievements of a voting
rights pioneer and revered son of the Lone Star State; and
WHEREAS, Born in 1944, Willie Velasquez graduated from
Central Catholic High School in San Antonio and then attended St.
Mary's University; his dedication to furthering the civil rights of
Hispanic Americans was already evident in his college years when he
helped found the Mexican American Youth Organization at St. Mary's
and also worked as an organizer for the United Farm Workers Union;
and
WHEREAS, Prominent in a number of Latino political
organizations of the late 1960s and early 1970s, Mr. Velasquez
helped lay the groundwork for La Raza Unida, a political party
championing the rights of Mexican Americans, and for the National
Council of La Raza, which has become an important civil rights and
advocacy group; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Velasquez focused on Latino participation in
elections as part of his work for the council, and these efforts led
to the founding of the Southwest Voter Registration Education
Project in 1974; uniting behind the slogan Su Voto es Su Voz, "Your
Vote is Your Voice," SVREP set out to educate Hispanics about the
democratic process and urge them to take part in elections; by
conducting thousands of nonpartisan voter registration and
get-out-the-vote campaigns, SVREP has helped bring about a dramatic
increase in the number of Latino voters and Latino elected
officials, both in Texas and across the United States; and
WHEREAS, Willie Velasquez also realized the need for an
organization that could gauge Hispanic public opinion and share
those views with elected leaders; toward that end, he founded the
Southwest Voter Research Institute in 1984; now renamed the William
C. Velasquez Institute, it collects and distributes information on
public policy issues that impact Latino citizens, thereby
amplifying their voice in the dialog of American politics; and
WHEREAS, The untimely death of Mr. Velasquez in 1988 at the
age of 44 was a loss deeply felt throughout the country, but his
legacy lives on; in 1995, President Bill Clinton posthumously
awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest
civilian honor, and he was one of the civil rights figures whose
names were attached to the U.S. Senate version of the Voting Rights
Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006; and
WHEREAS, Willie Velasquez is a figure of great importance for
Americans; his efforts to expand the electorate and educate
citizens about a range of civic issues were a great and influential
contribution that continues to benefit all those throughout this
country who are committed to the concept of representative
democracy; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of William C. Velasquez
on June 15, 2016, the 28th anniversary of his death, and commemorate
his record of achievement in furthering the nation's democratic
tradition.
Alonzo
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 79 was unanimously adopted by a rising
vote of the House on February 19, 2015.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House