Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I rise today as chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to pay tribute to a champion for Latinos and Latinas and a leader for all, the late CHC chair, Congressman Esteban Torres. He did everything in his power to increase Hispanic representation in Congress, dedicated himself to disenfranchised communities, and had an unwavering commitment to equity. Esteban Torres was born in Arizona in 1930 to a proud Mexican family of migrant and copper mine workers. After the deportation of his father through the disastrous Mexican Repatriation program, his family moved to east Los Angeles. Torres never saw his father again. As a self-proclaimed barrio kid, he grew up navigating the difficulties of a young Latino male without a father in Los Angeles, but that did not stop him from achieving excellence. From a young age, Torres was consistently recognized as a peacemaker, consensus builder, and leader in his community. He knew that leadership meant serving. And when he turned 19, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and fought in the Korean war. Later in life, the necessities of raising a family pushed Torres to work as a welder on the assembly line at an auto plant. There, he became involved with the labor movement and assumed the role of chief steward in the United Auto Workers union's local branch.…”