Sacramento, CA - "Today, I am joining the Mexican-American community in the 50th Assembly District in celebrating Cinco de Mayo, an important day not only in Mexican history but American history as well," Assemblymember De La Torre said.

Cinco de Mayo commemorates the anniversary of May 5, 1862, the day when Mexico defeated the French imperial army in the town of Puebla.

De La Torre pointed out that Californians of Mexican descent have made vital cultural and social contributions to our state, showing the same courage and determination exhibited by the heroes who defeated the French on May 5, 1862. While the French were eventually driven from Mexico's shores, it was the battle on May 5th that determined that Mexico would not be subjected to the whims of French Emperor Napoleon III.

In addition, the defeat of the French by the Mexican republican army kept the Confederacy from receiving military assistance during the American Civil War – ensuring a victory by the Union army. The Mexican victory was also a victory for democracy, a form of government not yet fully embraced by most of the world at that time.

Mexican Independence Day is actually September 16, 1810, the day when Father Hidalgo first rang the bells marking the beginning of Mexico's liberation from Spain. May 5, 1862, however, is the day that the Mexican people reestablished that freedom and reinforced their rights to self-determination.

"As the son of Mexican immigrants, this day is especially important to me. Indeed, those heroes are also our heroes because as the American Revolution demonstrated, the strength of a people seeking freedom cannot be undervalued," De La Torre concluded.