ANDERSON — A small crowd of enthusiastic supporters met in the parking lot of the Gateway Shopping Center on Friday evening to remember the good works of the late Cesar Chavez.

They marched to the Anderson Community Center with signs bearing the likeness of the civil rights leader and chanting "Si, se puede," or "Yes, we can," in the cool, wet weather.

The annual march recognizes Chavez, whose birthday would have been Monday. This year’s T-shirts had a simple black-and-white photograph of Chavez with his name and the words "An American Farm Worker."

"We chose to celebrate Cesar Chavez because of what he did to improve working conditions for farm laborers," said Theresa Bible, chairperson of the Northern Hispanic Latino Coalition (NHLC). "Also, he made sure that the children of those families got an education."

Bible’s favorite aspect of the Cesar Chavez Day observance is seeing the community’s involvement.

"We have other organizations and groups coming together to celebrate what a great man Cesar Chavez was," Bible said.

Amar Jitsingh, 30, head priest at the Sikh Centre in Anderson, wanted to be part of NHLC’s event because of its inclusive nature.

"We are having events coming at the Sikh Centre that are not just for Sikhs but are multicultural," Jitsingh said. "There is a need to educate the people here about Sikh people so that they can understand our culture and our identity."

Rowan O’Connell-Barger of Women’s Health Specialists in Redding was at the Chavez event to celebrate diversity, she said. "We are celebrating a man who was a powerful force for bringing about justice for people."

Out of the cold, surrounded by friends and families for a dinner afterward, people relaxed and enjoyed entertainment provided by such groups as Folklorico de Anderson. Bowls of homemade pazole, a traditional Mexican soup, were being sold as a benefit meal. There were two batches of the pork-and-hominy stew, one made with green chilies and one with red chilies. The dish is traditionally served with shredded cabbage and radishes.

"We use all the money raised at this event for our scholarships," Bible said.

The deadline for NHLC scholarship applications is April 21. For more information, call 225-0257.

Reporter Constance Dillon can be reached at 225-8372 or at cdillon@redding.com.