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A JOINT MEMORIAL
REQUESTING THE GOVERNOR AND THE PUBLIC EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
TO REINSTATE THE STATE SUPERVISOR OF SPANISH.
WHEREAS, the league of united Latin American citizens is
the nation's oldest and largest Latino membership
organization, and since its inception, it has fostered higher
education and advancement of all Hispanics at all levels and
facets of our American society; and
WHEREAS, before the United States achieved independence,
Spanish soldiers and colonists from Mexico established
settlements in New Mexico; and
WHEREAS, when New Mexico was ceded to the United States
following the war of 1846-1848, Spanish was the dominant
language, with an estimated sixty thousand Spanish-speaking
residents; and
WHEREAS, in 1943, the position of state supervisor of
Spanish was created "to bring about an improvement in the
teaching of Spanish in the schools of the state and in order
to insure the retainment and the development of the Spanish
language, with a view of future inter-American relations";
and
WHEREAS, the law providing for the state supervisor of
Spanish was repealed in 1967; and
WHEREAS, the league of united Latin American citizens
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supports the reinstatement of the law creating the state
supervisor of Spanish to promote the teaching of Spanish in
the schools of the state of New Mexico and to promote the
development of the Spanish language, with a view of future
inter-American relations;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE
STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the governor and the public
education department be requested to name the director of
bilingual education or the director's designee as the state
supervisor of Spanish; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
transmitted to the league of united Latin American citizens,
the governor and the secretary of public education.