Juanita Bocanegra, an assistant prosecutor with Ottawa County, will keynote Hope College’s annual César Chávez Lecture Series.

3 event highlights

1. The series honors Arizona native César Chávez, credited with making "Si, se puede" (Yes, it can be done) famous during his efforts to help farm workers and Latino families. Chavez founded and led the United Farm Workers of America. His parents lost their farm during the Great Depression and the family became migrant workers. Chávez was a U.S. Navy veteran. He died in 1993; his birthday, March 31, is a holiday dedicated to service in the states of California, Colorado and Texas.

2. Bocanegra, like Chávez, grew up in a migrant family. The West Ottawa High graduate, earned a Grand Valley State University bachelor’s degree and graduated from Cooley Law School. In her lecture, she will not only help the audience remember the legacy of Chavez but will also encourage young students to continue pursuing their educational goals and career dreams.

3. Alfredo Gonzales, associate provost and dean for international and multicultural education at Hope, organizes the series with the Office of Multicultural Education and La Raza Unida student organization. He praised Bocanegra for her "commitment to excellence, justice and inclusion."

Why you should attend

"It’s another opportunity to be inspired by greatness by people who had a vision for their lives, who saw the opportunity to impact the lives of others," said Vanessa Greene, Hope’s director of multicultural education. "We do these programs so those legacies can live on — each paved the road of success with compassion, courage and integrity. Students are really excited about this."

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