Today in California, we’re observing Cesar Chavez Day, a statewide holiday that takes place every March 31st to honor the birthday and legacy of one of our country’s most iconic labor and civil rights leaders — and one of my personal heroes.
This day holds special meaning for me as I look back on my family’s relationship with Cesar Chavez and the labor movement, and the values my childhood instilled in me that led me to pursue a path of public service.
Fighting for workers’ rights, advocating for hardworking families, and standing up for unions is in my blood. It’s how I was raised: some of my earliest memories were formed in a modest trailer in La Paz, a little town in the Tehachapi Mountains and the headquarters of the United Farmworkers of America.
My parents were recruited to help Filipino and Latino farmworkers advocate for better wages and working conditions, alongside Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, and Philip Vera Cruz.
My dad set up health clinics and worked in the front office with Cesar. My mom worked with Dolores in the preschool. Our family would host Philip for Filipino breakfast in our trailer.
Most of all, what I remember from those days are the lessons I learned about equality. It didn't matter if your dad was Cesar Chavez, Warren Bonta, or a migrant worker. It didn't matter if you were Filipino, Latino, Black, or white.
Everyone was there because of the mission. Because they saw injustice in the world and wanted to fix it. Everyone was there because they believed they could fix it if they stood united—and they were right. I saw firsthand the sheer power people can harness when we stand together—fighting as one for the greater good.
It's this collective people power that has led to the groundbreaking change in our communities and our country throughout history, and it’s what we need today to fight back against right-wing extremists' attempts to move us backward, and to keep moving forward toward justice and progress for all.
In honor of Cesar and the many dedicated organizers who fought to get us where we are today, let us not become weary or indifferent — let’s recommit to coming together and keeping up the fight for the rights and lives we all deserve.
Thank you for being a part of our grassroots movement.
In solidarity,
Rob
