; Whereas Ruben Salazar, a significant civil rights advocate, was the first Mexican-American columnist for the Los Angeles Times, and the first journalist to shed light on the Chicano/Chicana community through mainstream media; Whereas Sal Castro, a high school social studies teacher, initiated and facilitated the East Los Angeles Walkouts, which advocated for the teaching of Mexican-American heritage in schools, by highlighting the racial inequalities in the Chicano/Chicana community and instilling cultural pride into his pupils; Whereas Sal Castro’s then-student, Paula Crisostomo, is credited as the first student to walk out in protest of the unequal education that Latino students received, and led her peers in five East Los Angeles high schools in walking out of classes in the first mass protest against racism ever undertaken by Mexican Americans; Whereas Chicano/Chicana entertainers and artists have shaped American culture in the United States; Whereas Emigdio Vasquez, from Orange, California, was known as the Godfather of Hispanic artists , and painted over 30 public murals in central Orange County, most notable are his art contributions to Santa Ana City Hall; Whereas Selena Quintanilla Pérez, also known as Selena, was called the Queen of Tejano music and contributed tremendously to American music and fashion in the late 20th century; Whereas, as of 2019, approximately 37,000,000 Chicano/Chicana immigrants reside within the United States and comprise about 61.4 percent of the United States Latino population; Whereas the Chicano/Chicana population makes up 12 percent of the United States while facing a disproportionate amount of representation within the public and private sectors; Whereas the city of Santa Ana, California, has a majority Chicano/Chicana population; Whereas, in 2021, the city of Santa Ana, California, was the first major city in the United States to declare August as Chicano Heritage Month