Rep. Towns Salutes Hispanic Heritage Month

Statement

Rep. Edolphus "Ed" Towns (D-NY10) issued the following statement during the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month:

"I would like to take this opportunity to give a special salute to the hundreds of thousand people of Hispanic descent who live or work in the Borough of Brooklyn and the tens of thousands who reside in the 10th Congressional District during the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. Latinos have contributed immensely to the economic and social wellbeing of our Borough, City, State and the entire United States of America. They have fought in wars to keep our society free, they are educators, professionals, and provide public service on many levels. Our society would be much less without their many outstanding contributions.

"As we salute the accomplishments and contributions of Latinos we must also be mindful that like their African American brothers and sisters, they have suffered disproportionately during periods of economic hardships. The recent Census report on poverty shows that the poverty rate for Latinos--26.4 percent--is more than double that of white Americans and slightly less than that of black Americans. We must do better.

"Creating better educational and work opportunities for Latinos and other hard-hit groups is at the forefront of my legislative and policy agendas. Our nation will never be all that it can be until all of our citizens can achieve their full potential. So as we salute the proud history of Latinos during Hispanic Heritage Month let us remember that we still have much to do to improve the quality of life for the Hispanic community."

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