California Legislature Names October "European American Heritage Month"

October has been designated "European American Heritage Month" by the California legislature, which unanimously approved the resolution in late August 1999.
"Public school students can now study and celebrate the many contributions that people of European origin have made to California and the United States," says Lou Calabro, head of the San Bruno-based European-American Issues Forum, which drafted the resolution. Calabro said his group modeled the resolution after those celebrating other racial/ethnic groups.

Calabro called upon parents and other interested individuals to contact local school districts and help them create special projects and curricula to highlight European-American heritage this October. No funding for the event has been made available by the legislature or the California Department of Education.

"With today's focus on multiculturalism, the legislature's support serves the interests of fairness and diversity by recognizing the European-American community as as a distinct, valued segment of our society," says Calabro, who noted Novato-resident Stan Hess suggested Heritage Month.

Assemblyman Lou Papan sponsored Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 91, which marks the first official recognition by the State government of the 16 million Californians of European ancestry, including such diverse groups as Anglo-Saxons, Armenians, Basque, Celts, French, Germans, Greeks, Spaniards, Italians, Scandinavians and Slavs.

"The State's recognition of the European-American community is a breakthrough that we hope will give us a seat at the table when decisions that affect our lives are being made," said Calabro.

The European-American Issues Forum is a civil rights group formed to discuss and take action on social, economic, cultural, political and related issues that particularly affect European-Americans in Northern California and beyond.

California Legislature Designates October 1998 "European American Heritage Month"

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 91
RESOLUTION CHAPTER 143

Assembly Concurrent Resolution NO. 91 -- Relative to European American Heritage Month.
[Filed with Secretary of State August 26, 1998.]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
ACR 91, Papan. European American Heritage Month.
This measure would recognize the month of October 1998 as European American Heritage Month.

WHEREAS. There are approximately 188 million European Americans in the United
States, and 16 million Californians of European ancestry; and

WHEREAS, This diaspora is diverse in religious beliefs; and

WHEREAS, This diaspora represents diverse ethnicities including Anglo-Saxon, Armenian, Basque, Celtic, Gallic, Germanic, Greek, Iberian, Italic, Scandinavian, and Slavic; and

WHEREAS, This diaspora is diverse in country of origin and comes from an area commonly referred to as Europe that is bounded by land west of the Ural Mountains, north of the Mediterranean Sea, east of the Atlantic Ocean, and
south of the Arctic Ocean; and

WHEREAS, This diaspora has led to the establishment of public and private institutions in the United States that are praised by people everywhere in the world; and

WHEREAS, The tremendous contributions by European Americans in the field of engineering, science, science, and medicine have changed the face of this planet; and
WHEREAS, The European American population is projected to be a minority by the year 2000 in California and by 2050 in the United States; and

WHEREAS, Currently there is no official recognition by governmental agencies and public schools of a specially designated heritage month for European Americans; and

WHEREAS, There is official recognition for other national origin, continent origin, and ethnic groups in California; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That in the interest of fairness and diversity, the Legislature of the State of California recognizes the month of October 1998 as European American Heritage Month to honor and celebrate our European American heritage;

and be it further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.

previous page back to top