President George W. Bush
Documents & Texts from the White House
10 October 2007
President Bush Attends Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration at White House
3:11 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Please be seated. Siéntese. Gracias. Bienvenidos a la Casa Blanca, también el jardín de las rosas. It's a
beautiful day. I'm glad you're here. Thanks for coming as we celebrate
Hispanic Heritage Month. Every year at this time, we recognize the rich
cultural traditions of the Hispanic American community -- and the great
contributions of Hispanic Americans to our country and our character.
That's why we're here.
I appreciate so very much Ambassador Sue Schwab, who is the U.S. Trade
Representative, for joining us. We're proud you're here, Madam Ambassador.
I'm going to say something positive about trade, so I'm glad you came. I
appreciate my friend, my dear friend, former Attorney General of the United
States, Al Gonzales. (Applause.) I appreciate Anna Cabral, U.S.
Treasurer, and Victor. Thank you all for coming. (Applause.) I'm proud
that other members of my administration have joined us. Sarah, it's good
to see you; thank you for being here.
I thank my friend, Emilio Estefan, who has provided the entertainment. I'm
going to say something about the entertainment a little later, but Israel,
we're glad you're here. I appreciate the members of the Diplomatic Corps;
I appreciate the ambassadors coming. We're proud you're here. Thanks for
taking time.
I have just met a remarkable woman that I want to introduce to you: Yamile Llanes Labrada, and her daughter, Shirlen García, have joined me in the Oval Office. Yamile is the wife of a political prisoner in Cuba, Dr. José Luis García Paneque. The doctor was a plastic surgeon. He did nothing more than advocate for freedom. And he's now in prison. And not only is he in prison, he's ill. And so one of the messages I have for the Cuban leader is, free this man, and free other political prisoners. He's not a threat to you. Let him be reunited with a woman who loves him dearly, and his four children. So, Yamile, thanks for coming. We're proud you're here. (Applause.) Sure glad you're here. Y que Dios les bendiga a su familia y también su esposo.
Citizens of Hispanic descent are the fastest-growing population in America.
Hispanic Americans strengthen our nation with their commitments to familia
y fe. Hispanic Americans enrich our country with their talents and
creativity and hard work. Hispanic Americans are living the dream that has
drawn millions to our shores -- and we must ensure that the American Dream
remains available for all. It's an important part of our past, and it's a
central part of our future that people from all walks of life feel welcomed
and given the opportunity to realize the blessings of America.
Realizing the promise of this good country requires a good education. You
know, I worked hard with Republicans and Democrats to pass what's called
the No Child Left Behind Act. That's an important piece of legislation
because it raises standards, and it holds schools to account. And the law
is working. It's a good piece of legislation. It's working because I can
report to you that last month we saw the results from what's called the
Nation's Report Card. The report card showed record performance in 4th and
8th grade math and 4th grade reading. And the report showed that Hispanic
students scored all-time highs in a number of areas. And so we need to
build on that progress. It's good that we've got a good report card; we
want excellent report cards for every child.
I met yesterday with civil rights leaders. See, I believe a good education
is a civil right. And we talked about how we can work together to make
sure the No Child Left Behind Act is not only reauthorized, but is made
stronger. The Congress needs to make sure we don't lower standards.
Congress needs to make sure we raise standards and hold people to account,
so that every child, every child can learn in the United States of America.
(Applause.)
Realizing the promise of America requires a growing economy. Last week, we
got more good news on this front. The economy added 110,000 new jobs in
September, giving us 49 straight months of job growth -- and that's a new
record. We are now enjoying the longest period of uninterrupted job
creation in the history of the United States. The growing economy is the
result of good policies, like low taxes, but it's also mainly the result of
hard work of workers and entrepreneurs, including hundreds of thousands of
Latino business owners.
And so to keep the economy growing, we've got to make sure we don't raise
your taxes. And to keep the economy growing, we've got to open new markets
for goods and services. One of the most important markets is in our own
hemisphere. Many Hispanic-owned businesses in our country depend on trade
with Latin America. Trade with the region strengthens ties of friendship
and commerce. Free trade helps our neighbors prosper. And so to expand
trade with Latin America, we negotiated, and Congress approved, a free
trade agreement with five Central American countries, as well as the
Dominican Republic. And this agreement is working, it's helped American
workers. It's new markets for products made here -- right here in the
United States. And it's helped our neighbors. We want everybody to do
well in our neighborhood. We want prosperity to abound.
And that's why we've negotiated new free trade agreements with Peru and
Colombia and Panama. For the sake of businesses and sake of our workers,
and for the sake of prosperity in the neighborhood, the United States
Congress needs to approve these three very important trade agreements.
(Applause.)
Realizing the promise of the country requires strong communities, where
people care for each other in times of need. Yamile found help in the
United States from people who care about the condition of her husband. A
total stranger that didn't know Yamile before she came to the United States
said, how can I help you; what can I do? That happens all across our
country when Hispanic Americans run soup kitchens and drug treatment
clinics and hear the call -- God's call -- to love our neighbors as we'd
like to be loved ourself.
We see this spirit in Hispanic Americans who volunteer as Little League
coaches, or serve as Big Brothers and Big Sisters, or give their time and
energy to improve the lives of people that live across the street from
them. By caring for others, Hispanic Americans make ours a better and more
compassionate nation -- and America appreciates the example they set.
Finally, realizing the promise of America requires a secure country. We
honor the many Hispanic Americans who wear the uniform here at home -- the
police, and firefighters, and emergency rescue personnel who risk their
lives each day to protect our homeland and our communities. And we honor
the 200,000 Hispanic Americans who serve in our Armed Forces -- who are
working to spread liberty so we can be secure here in America; who are
doing the hard work today so our children and grandchildren can grow up in
peace. I appreciate the fact that they have volunteered in a time of
danger, and I'm proud to welcome members of the United States military with
us today. Thank you all for coming. (Applause.)
So during Hispanic Heritage Month, we celebrate the diversity that makes
our country stronger -- and the heritage and the spirit that Hispanic
Americans bring to this great democracy. To help us celebrate the heritage
and spirit, we have an incredible talent: "Cachao." He was born in Havana
only in 1918. That was before my time. During the late 1930s, he helped
popularize the mambo, and over the past half century he has won a lot of
Grammy Awards -- most recently in 2005, believe it or not. So if you do
the math, you can figure out this man hasn't stopped working. (Laughter.)
He's still clicking, and he's still making good music. And so we're proud
to welcome Israel Lopez, better known as "Cachao," to here -- to the White
House. Thank you for coming. (Applause.)
* * * * *
THE PRESIDENT: I know you'll join me in thanking Cachao for coming. Guess
when the first he was here -- 1948 he played for President Harry Truman.
(Applause.) Welcome back. (Applause.) We're sure glad you're here.
Thank you all for coming. I want you to say hello to Yamile again, una más vez. (Applause.) We certainly pray for the speedy release of your
husband, and we're glad you're here at the White House. No better place to
come and recognize the great beauty of freedom. We want to thank you all
for joining us as we celebrate the great diversity and freedom of the
United States.
Que Dios les bendiga.
END 3:35 P.M. EDT
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