Tulsa World (OK): Novelist Rilla Askew to be featured at library event honoring Cesar Chavez on Tuesday

  The Hispanic Resource Center of the Tulsa City-County Library will hold an event to honor the memory of civil rights activist Cesar Chavez at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Martin Regional Library, 2601 S. Garnett Road.

"What ‘Kind of Kin’? Honoring Cesar Chavez with Our Stories" will feature novelist Rilla Askew, whose novel "Kind of Kin" addresses some of the ongoing issues, such as the rights of immigrant laborers, that Chavez dealt with during his life.

Sara Martinez, coordinator of the Hispanic Resource Center, said: "Chavez was a social activist and union organizer who struggled to gain recognition for the human dignity of workers in harvest agriculture.

"He relied on nonviolent strategies to effect change and is recognized throughout the world as a Mexican American leader who championed equality, humanity and social justice."

Askew

Askew’s novel, set in eastern Oklahoma, explores the personal, political and emotional repercussions that arise when a harsh anti-immigration bill becomes law.

The event will also feature Vicente Ruiz, a member of the United Farm Workers of America, the labor union for immigrant and migrant workers Chavez helped to establish.

Musicians, poets and other members of the Tulsa Hispanic community will also pay tribute to Chavez, through their own stories of struggle and hope.

Refreshments will be provided, and copies of "Kind of Kin" will be available for purchase.

For more information, call 918-549-7323, or go to tulsaworld.com/library

Original Print Headline: Library event with Askew honors Chavez

James D. Watts Jr. 918-581-8478
james.watts@tulsaworld.com