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This Monday, we celebrate and honor the legacy of one of the great labor leaders of the 20th century: Cesar Chavez, a man who helped build and lead a movement that continues to this day.
Several states, including California, recognize Chavez’s birthday – March 31 – as Cesar Chavez Day, an official state holiday. The date also has federal significance: In 2014, President Barack Obama declared it to be a federal commemorative holiday, and it has been observed as such ever since.
But who was Chavez?
Born March 31, 1927, on a small family homestead outside Yuma, Arizona, Chavez began his lifelong passion for community organizing in San Jose in 1952. Ten years later, he moved to Delano and founded the National Farm Workers Association, which would go on to become United Farm Workers.
Now, three decades after his passing, on his 98th birthday, the labor movement is coming together once again in Delano to march in honor of Chavez’s memory and in solidarity with the immigrant workers who make America work “con estas manos” (“with these hands”).
Whether they drive our buses, grow our food, clean our homes or heal our sick, America would not work without the immigrants who have made it home.
This march – a collaboration of the California Federation of Labor Unions, United Farm Workers and SEIU California – will include workers from around the state and across many industries as they come together to rally in solidarity with our immigrant brothers and sisters.
We look forward to seeing many of you in Delano! |
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In Solidarity, Lorena Gonzalez |
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