Remembering Cesar Chavez

[Omaha Steve]

Cesar Chavez is the reason for my avatar. Look it up. :-)


http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/5753/remembering_cesar_chavez/

Monday March 29 9:00 am

“The truest act of courage...is to sacrifice ourselves for others in a totally nonviolent struggle for justice." —Cesar Chavez

By R.M. Arrieta

The day the body of Cesar Chavez, civil rights leader and founder of the United Farm Workers (UFW), was brought to Delano in California, I cut out of work with a co-worker and drove from San Francisco to his memorial. After driving through the winding dusty road leading to Chavez’ UFW field office at “Forty Acres,” we saw before us a vast wave of people flowing onto the grounds. It seemed that his death galvanized the movement. 50,000 mourners had made a pilgrimage to honor this man who lay in a simple pine box.

Chavez died April 23, 1993, at age 66. This Wednesday, March 31—Chavez's birthday—is the California state holiday honoring the labor leader. (There's an ongoing effort to make his birthday a national holiday.) Many commemorations and events are planned to mark the occasion, including the Cesar Chavez holiday breakfast in San Francisco (March 31) and a parade and festival (April 10).

Chavez's funeral was said to be the largest for any labor leader in U.S. history. Hundreds of murals and memorials have been built in his honor. Two years ago, renowned Los Angeles artist Judy Baca and SPARC’s Cesar Chavez Digital Lab unveiled the exquisite Cesar E. Chavez monument at San Jose State University.

The day Chavez died, work across the fields and rural areas of the nation came to a stop. Workers in urban areas in the factories and offices from around the nation took off to make the memorial, many driving days to get there. Students from all over came in droves. People came in caravans, buses, vans. Many had marched side-by-side with Chavez in the struggle for farm worker justice.

Thousands of eagle-emblazoned red and black farm worker flags and banners and placards “Viva la Causa,” (Long Live Our Cause) and “Huelga” (Strike) waved across the grounds. People sang “De Colores,” the song many affiliate with Chavez and “La Causa.” Explaining the eagle, Chavez had once said, "A symbol is an important thing. That is why we chose an Aztec eagle. It gives pride . . . When people see it they know it means dignity."

There was no grand call for people to come to his memorial in the middle of the San Joaquin Valley. Few flyers were passed out, and the Internet was barely part of life. Texting and twittering were not a part of the landscape then.

FULL story at link.

[KG]

1. this country needs some Cesar Chavezes really, really bad. a couple of MLKs would be nice too.

[hlthe2b]

2. The Texas School Board wants to wipe out any mention of him

as well.... I sincerely hope someone slaps them down.

[G_j]

7. really?

I wonder what they will do with MLK Jr. ?

[hlthe2b]

9. Yes.. it has the Latinos up in arms...

But, of course, the asshole RETHUGS in charge don't give a shit. I don't know what other specifics, other than the dropping of Thomas Jefferson for Calvin in the discussion of revolutionaries and de-emphasizing liberal concepts and separation of church/state. Reagan of course will receive great increase in emphasis...:eyes:

[BrklynLiberal]

3. He was true hero...

[LuckyLib]

11. Yes he was. These photos show one of his many hunger strikes for farmworkers' rights.

He spoke of the dignity of the working family, and asked that Americans try to understand where their food came from, who had harvested the fruits and vegetables from the central valley that were so much a part of our lives.

[fishwax]

4. k/r

:kick:

[Peregrine Took]

5. And Stuart Udall, too. Check out the "Bob Edwards" interview from NPR

that ran this weekend. All the great ones are gone and I don't see anyone on the horizon with their stamina and courage.

[hlthe2b]

10. yes.. I enjoyed that interview...

[XemaSab]

6. I've been to his gravesite

If you're ever in the south valley, you should go too. :)

[KonaKane]

8. I knew him. He was an amazing man.

He trained us in non-violent resistance during our preparation for the action near the Nevada Nuke Test Site, back in 1989. Our group was part of American Peace Test (which later hived off to state auxillaries, ours being "Utah Peace Test") and he was in town for a couple of speaking engagements. I'll never forget this small man, with a kind face looked at me and could tell I was scared shitless to confront the police and be arrested. He smiled and took my arm, and said "relax, you're on the right side! You don't have a thing to fear." I was arrested in that action, and true to Cesar's words, I wasn't harmed outside of a slight irritation on my wrists from the cheap plastic things they used on us for handcuffs.

I ended up going back two other times to the test site, getting arrested both times. We eventually got our moratorium on underground nuke testing, and I will never forget that wonderful guy Cesar, and the service he did not only our country but all of humanity seeking justice.

[Omaha Steve]

12. Kick

[Solly Mack]

13. k/r