Along with the realization that we represent a larger percentage of the population comes a sense of obligation to do well, to preserve both the legacies of our original culture and our adopted one. We belong to both cultures whether we admit it or not. We might carry an American passport, but our culture is an integral part of our identity. We must see that dual force as a positive element in our lives.  As Latin Americans we must be proud of a heritage that has produced some of the world's best music, in Santana, in Lecuona, in Gardel, in Tito Puente. The best literature of the last one hundred years came out of our continent, from Borges to Paz, from Neruda to Garcia Marquez.

We have inherited the Spanish gift for art and forward-looking architecture. We are heirs to Velasquez, Goya, Murillo and other masters of the past. Fernando Botero, whose sculptures adorned the Champs Élysées gave Colombia another reason to be proud. We have produced great athletes in soccer, in baseball, in tennis and other sports. Our cyclists have conquered Europe and Australia and our women have won beauty contests everywhere. We are a privileged culture, made up of all the races and enriched by the streams of all those cultures. We sing well and dance well. We have above all a joie de vie that even poverty cannot diminish.

And when we arrive in this country as immigrants we bring all that baggage with us, adding to the rich heritage of this culture, bringing some of the ingredients that will help to make it richer, more colorful, with more soul. We contribute not only our spirit, but we bring a work ethic that enables even the poorest among us to be proud of our labors. We are not afraid to work and we value what we know and what we are able to contribute. In return we expect respect and opportunity. We are not easily discouraged and are always ready to sacrifice and work harder in order to achieve our goals. Many of our brothers and sisters have given their blood for this country.

The roster of heroes from Vietnam to the Gulf War contains Hispanic names. This land is also our land from California to the fields of New York and New Jersey, from the deserts of the West to the rivers of the East. We have helped to build this nation and now we seem to have reached a new plateau, and are given the opportunity to have more of an impact in this society. Let’s take stock of who we are and what we bring to the table. Our leaders are not the only ones responsible. We must all contribute in some way, with our votes, with our participation in the democratic process in whatever way possible. All those things that we have come to value, freedom, the right to work, opportunities to become better educated or to achieve in business, must be preserved and defended. This is truly the land of opportunity.

Notwithstanding the fact that there are diverse opinions within this nation, the fact is that we must defend the rights of those who disagree with us. We need solid arguments. We need credible representations at all levels of this society, and we need to maintain a sense of solidarity with our Hispanic heritage because that is what gives us our unique identity. This culture is richer because we are here. But we are also more privileged than others because we have been given the opportunity to share in the wealth of one of the most successful societies in the history of the world. We must never lose sight of the fact that, while we have the right to disagree politically, we must always work for the benefit of this nation and for the preservation of the values that have made it great.