Barack Obama calls for Cesar Chavez holiday

[Omaha Steve]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/03/barack-obama-ca.html

Cesar Chavez Day.

That's what Barack Obama is endorsing: A national holiday in honor of the late, legendary activist for farmworker rights (pictured below).

Today is Chavez's birthday -- and Hillary Clinton's campaign was the first to draw attention to that this morning, issuing a statement celebrating the 81st anniversary of Chavez's birth (he died on April 23, 1993).



But Obama, who has struggled to overcome Clinton's significant advantage among Latino voters in state after state, sought to one-up his rival for the Democratic presidential nod by joining the call for creating a national holiday to commemorate the father of the United Farm Workers.

"As farmworkers and laborers across America continue to struggle for fair treatment and fair wages, we find strength in what Cesar Chavez accomplished so many years ago,'' Obama said in a statement from his campaign. "And we should honor him for what he's taught us about making America a stronger, more just, and more prosperous nation.

"That's why I support the call to make Cesar Chavez's birthday a national holiday. It's time to recognize the contributions of this American icon to the ongoing efforts to perfect our union."

Clinton, in her statement, said: “Today, I join millions of Americans in commemorating the life of one of our great civil rights leaders, Cesar Chavez. Driven by his strong desire to ensure better quality of life for migrant farmworkers across the country, Chavez helped found -– along with Dolores Huerta –- the United Farm Workers of America, arguably one of the first effective farmworkers unions in the United States.''

Huerta, 77, endorsed Clinton ...

FULL story at link.

[Fed_Up_Grammy]

1. I remember not buying grapes during his activist years. It

was suggested as a method of support.

I don't know where I heard it,but no grapes for us.

He was a wonderful man.

[dflprincess]

2. Apparently Obama has been taking pandering lessons from Clinton

We already have a national holiday in September called "Labor Day".

While more people get Labor Day off, the problem with most national holidays is that the only people who actually get a holiday work for govenment entites, banks or some companies that aren't open when the stock market is closed.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

5. So I take it you like neither Clinton nor Obama. Whom will you be voting for? nt

[dflprincess]

8. I will vote for the Democratic nominee

because I'm assuming s/he will be marginally better than McCain - especially when it comes to court appointments. I just won't be smiling when I do it. I can't believe that after 8 years of Bush, these are the choices we're stuck with.

On the other hand, as I've said before, the advantage of disliking them both is that I've already had plenty of time to accept that I'll be voting for someone I can't stand (barring a miracle like a deadlocked convention and a compromise candidate). It's something both the Clinton and Obama supporters who say they won't vote for the "other one" if their candidate doesn't get the nomination had best start had best start dealing with.

[medeak]

10. ditto! n/t

[Sarah Ibarruri]

11. If you had a choice, who be running? nt

[dflprincess]

13. My first choice was Kucinich

then Edwards. I had really hoped Gore would get in it. If I had had to rank my picks of this year's crop of candidates, Clinton and Obama were pretty much at the bottom - at times even lower than Gravel whose blunt comments in the early debates were enjoyable.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

15. Ok thanks nt

[Omaha Steve]

7. I know lots of union members that get several non major holidays

They don't work at banks or Government. Columbus day. Birthday. Veteran's Day. MLK. Day after Thanksgiving. There are some good perks with membership. Well worth the dues.

[dflprincess]

9. It probably dependes on the union

I know around here most the grocery stores are union and they're open on holidays (including Labor Day which just seems especially wrong). Perhaps the workers at least get paid time and a half for those days?

[Sarah Ibarruri]

3. Cesar Chavez was a hero. nt

[Redstone]

4. I got no problem with that. Chavez was a real fighter.

Redstone

[itsrobert]

6. Another holiday?

I'm still upset that they combined Lincoln and Washington Birthday's to form President's day. Which Holiday does Obama want to take away to make room for Chavez Day? Maybe they can combine MLK Day and Chavez Day to form Equal Rights Day or something similar?

[mike_c]

12. I'm proud to celebrate Chavez day in California....

We had yesterday off. I point my students to links about Chavez and the farm workers union in their online syllabus rather than the usual assigned readings for this week.

[Luminous Animal]

14. Indeed...

I live in California. My 18 year old daughter and 6 of her friends were over on Sunday for a BBQ. We were hanging out with our next door neighbor's relatives from Ohio and the topic of Cesar Chavez Day came up and the Ohians didn't know who he was and very little about the movement. The 18 year olds gave them a great history lesson.