Delano and the United Farm Workers on Sunday celebrated the birthday of civil rights leader Cesar Chavez.

Thousands of people gathered in a small park to take in a Catholic mass and to remember the life of the local hero, who was born March 31, 1927.

The name of the man and the park are the same: Cesar Chavez.

They day’s events started with mass and ended with thousands of people taking to the street. In between, the Latin American community came from all over the state to celebrate Chavez’ life.

Chavez helped create what is now known as the UFW, a union dedicated to the working rights of farm laborers.

The event occurred in Delano because its was the site for the historic grape strike in the 1960s. At that time, farm laborers marched from Delano to Sacramento to protest the distribution of pesticides on farms.

Organizers of the event said their hopes were to continue Chavez’ message for better working conditions and to ask President Barack Obama for immigration reform.

A common chant during the event was “si se puede,” which is Spanish for “yes we can.”