(SACRAMENTO) - The State Assembly today passed ACR 72: California Native American Heritage Month. The resolution, introduced by Assemblymember Luis A. Alejo (D-Salinas) and coauthored by 67 Assemblymembers, recognizes November 2011 as Native American History Month.

ACR 72 highlights that despite tremendous hardship California Native Americans have made vital contributions to the strength and diversity of our society in areas such as law, medicine, business, education, and the United States Armed Forces.

Through their rich cultural traditions and proud ancestry, the work of California Native American leaders has bridged racial, socioeconomic, and environmental barriers by empowering and educating people in order to protect Native American culture and heritage for future generations.

In conjunction with the resolution, Asm. Alejo honored four Native American leaders on the Assembly floor for their individual contributions to the preservation of California Native Americans heritage.

James Ramos, Chair of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, was appointed to the California State Board of Education by Governor Jerry Brown and is the first California Native American to be appointed to the Board.  Mr. Ramos founded the San Manuel Cultural Awareness and Tribal Unity Program. He has continuously demonstrated his commitment to education and is a key leader in the San Manuel tribe Serrano Language Revitalization Project (SLRP) and the San Manuel Learning Resource Center.

Nancy Ayala, Tribal Council Vice-Chair of the Picayune Indian Nation, was recognized for her contributions to the preservation of Native American languages. Ms. Ayala has worked for the past ten years as a member of the Board for the Red Road Pow Wow Committee. She teaches Chukchansi language classes to increase understanding and enable future generations to learn about the importance of the Chukchansi language.

Mark Macarro, Chairman of the Pechanga Indian Nation, was recognized for his efforts in maintaining and cultivating the Pechanga tribal identity, culture, language, and traditional ways of life. He helped found the Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival (AICLS), a non-profit organization with the mission of protecting native tribal languages. Mr. Macarro, has worked closely with developers on new projects to ensure that sacred burial grounds are preserved and kept intact.

Mary Ann Andreas, Vice Chair of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, was recognized for advancing the Morongo tribe’s views and those of other Native Americans on local, state, and federal levels of government.  Ms. Andreas has worked to protect tribal sovereignty and has focused on economic development, housing, child welfare, health care, vocational training, education, transportation, water and land resources and environmental protection. She has served as a board member of the Malki Museum, which is dedicated to preserving the cultures and traditions of Southern California Indian tribes.

ACR 72 next heads to the State Senate. The full text of the resolution is available here.

CONTACT: Sasha Horwitz, (916) 319-2028