Bill to Create Chicano License Plate Clears Colorado Legislature

By Sara Wilson

Posted May 2, 2024

Colorado drivers will soon have the option to adorn their car with a specialty license plate that honors Chicano culture and supports related youth programs in the state.

The Senate approved House Bill 24-1105 on Tuesday on a 26-9 vote. It passed the House in April on a 41-18 vote.

“I want to thank all of the ways that Chicanos have come together through this policy to weigh in, to struggle, to not agree and to find … consensus and to build power,” Sen. Julie Gonzales, a Denver Democrat, said on the Senate floor Tuesday morning. “In some ways, this is just a license plate. And in some ways, this is so much more than just a license plate.”

The bill was sponsored by Gonzales and freshman Rep. Tim Hernández, a Denver Democrat. They worked with Pueblo-based non-profit El Movimiento Sigue.

It will create a special license plate available next year to join the dozens of specialty plate designs available for Colorado car owners, ranging from a Denver Nuggets plate to one honoring the Pueblo green chile. A pair of $25 fees will go to the Highway Users Tax Fund and to a fund for Chicano youth leadership and education programs, such as the Rita J. Martinez Youth Leadership Conference in Pueblo and the La Raza Youth Leadership Conference in Denver.

The initial design features an orange starburst design behind Colorado mountains and an image of clasped hands and roses over the traditional colors and pattern of a serape. The words “Chicana/o power!” are at the bottom.

“The creation of the Chicano special license plate is an acknowledgement of our heritage in the state of Colorado since its inception and the many iterations that Chicanos have taken on, that we have had a deep part in the creation and the execution of the state,” Hernández said during debate in the House.

Bill sponsors said they collected the necessary 3,000 signatures for a special license plate within two days.

The Chicano social justice movement was vibrant in Colorado, particularly in Denver, in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1969, for example, students walked out of classes to demand more bilingual classes and instruction of Chicano and Mexican-American history, and they were ultimately met with violence from the Denver Police Department. That same year, thousands of young people came together at the Denver Chicano Youth Liberation Conference, organized by activist Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales.

“Chicano is a cultural identity held by a lot of people of a lot of different races,” Hernández said. “While I understand folks might not understand what a Chicano is, that does not mean that we do not have demonstrable heritage within the state of Colorado.”

Previous iterations of the bill died in 2016 and 2018. Both were led by former Democratic Rep. Joe Salazar.

“A license plate is a small way of honoring what we are and our contributions to the state,” he said during the bill’s Senate Finance Committee hearing.

The bill faced some friction over the proposed design, particularly the “Chicana/o power” slogan. Opponents contended that it promoted one demographic over others and would not be allowed if “Chicano” was substituted for another race or group.

During the bill’s committee hearing, however, Gonzales said that language “reflects the power that exists within our community.” The term was also widely used by activists during the height of the movement.

The final design will ultimately be decided through a process with the Department of Revenue.

The Legislature considered other license plate bills this year. A bill to create the Gadsden flag “Don’t Tread on Me” license plate died in committee. On Tuesday, the House gave preliminary approval to a bipartisan license plate bill to honor the state’s agricultural industry.

Sara Wilson is a reporter with Colorado Newsline. This article is republished from Colorado Newsline under a Creative Commons license.