The United Farm Workers (UFW) notified Education Examiner today that they are supporting the grassroots efforts of the César E. Chávez Foundation and the César E. Chávez National Holiday Coalition in their efforts to make César’s March 31 birthday a federal paid holiday and a day of service and learning in public schools.

Chávez’s March 31 birthday is already celebrated as a holiday in ten states (AZ, CA, CO, IL, MI, NM, RI, TX, UT and WI).

Chávez was, in Senator Robert F. Kennedy‘s words, "one of the heroic figures of our time."

Chávez led the historic non-violent movement for farm worker rights and dedicated himself to building a movement of poor working people that extended beyond the fields and into cities and towns across the nation.

UAF writes:

‘César E. Chávez legacy, like the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., continues to educate, inspire and empower people from all walks of life. He is a role model for all Americans and for generations to come.

‘He inspired farm workers and millions of people who never worked on a farm to commit themselves to social, economic and civil rights activism.‘

The César E. Chávez National Holiday Coalition is gathering signatures on petitions asking Congress to designate March 31, César’s birthday and the day the UFW was founded, as César Chávez Day.

In October, President Barack Obama dedicated a national park in California to Chávez. Obama gave a speech in which he said,

“Our world is a better place because César Chávez decided to change it. Let us honor his memory. But most importantly, let’s live up to his example.”

Musician and activist Carlos Santana added,

"It’s supremely important that a day be selected to honor the life of Mr. César Chávez for his quality of service to all humanity. His supreme cry of "Si se puede" will forever resonate as a positive motivator as words of light."

Find out more and follow UFW on Facebook, Twitter, or e-mail the petition to others here.

UFW invites readers to download the petition and sign people up at César Chávez observances and other events.