We learned with genuine sadness of the passing on Saturday, Sept. 28 of famed singer/songwriter Kris Kristofferson. Cesar Chavez went backstage in the 1970s to thank Kris when he headlined fundraising concerts for the United Farm Workers. They maintained a lifelong friendship. For the rest of his life Kris wore around his neck a pendant with the UFW black eagle symbol. Over the decades, he regularly turned out to support the farm workers. He attended dedication of the César E. Chávez National Monument at Keene in 2012, traveled across California performing six fundraising concerts for the UFW in 2015, and sang at the opening of the union’s new Central Coast Farm Worker Center in Salinas in 2018. The movement always held a special place in his heart. Kris was awarded the Cesar Chavez Legacy Award by the Cesar Chavez Foundation.
