Chavez began organizing farmworkers in the 1950s to form a labor union and demand better working conditions and higher pay. He founded the United Farm Workers of America.
Among the events planned:
A Chavez exhibit with artwork will be on display 10 a.m.-2 p.m. daily until Friday in the California State University, Fresno, University Student Union Pavilion and the Free Speech Area.
An exhibit of photographs and banners created by photographer George Ballis is on display 8 a.m.-9 p.m. weekdays at the Cesar E. Chavez Adult Education Center, 2500 Stanislaus St. The exhibit opened March 3 and runs through the end of April. The exhibit’s run coincides with Chavez’s birthday on March 31, 1927, and his death on April 23, 1993.
"Fight in the Fields," a documentary film that tells the story of Chavez’s life, will be shown 4-6 p.m. today at the Cedar Clinton Library Branch, 4150 E. Clinton Ave., Fresno.
The El Concilio de Fresno and the Fresno Adult School will hold several events Friday. The program begins at 10 a.m. in the Saroyan Theater, 700 M St. with dancers, music and other performances. An eight-block march is set for 11:35 a.m.-noon from the theater to the adult school, 2500 Stanislaus St., to symbolize the farmworkers’ struggle.
A poetry and essay recitation and performance by Los Danzante de Aztlan, Fresno State’s Mexican dance troupe, will be at 11:45 a.m. Friday in the Free Speech Area at the university. The event will end with garlanding of the Cesar Chavez statue.
Fresno State will host the annual Cesar Chavez Education Conference featuring Dr. Barbara Flores, president of the National Association for Bilingual Education, and civil rights leader Gary Orfield. Events will be held in McLane Hall Room 121 4-7 p.m. Friday, and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. The conference is free and open to the public, with waived parking fees in Lots K, L and M.
As part of the Fresno State education conference, three films about immigration enforcement raids will be shown at 5:15 p.m. Friday in Room 121 of McLane Hall on the university campus, followed by a panel discussion.
The Committee Cesar E. Chavez and the Fresno Parks and Recreation Department will begin the 15th annual Cesar Chavez Celebration with a vigil at 5 p.m. Friday at Holmes Playground, Huntington Avenue and First Street in Fresno. A march will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday at the playground. A lunch and multicultural presentation at noon at the playground will feature dancers and musicians.