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Community to Community: Cesar Chavez Celebration Dinner to Kick off Farm Worker Awareness Week

NEWS FROM: Community to Community

For Immediate Release: Thursday, March 20 2008
For more information, contact:  Rosalinda Guillen (360)752-3344

Cesar Chavez Celebration Dinner to Kick off Farm Worker Awareness Week

When: 4:00-6:00 p.m. Sunday, March 30
Where: St. Luke’s Health Education Center
 3333 Squalicum Parkway, Bellingham, WA

Ticket price: $20 per person   $7.50 Child’s Plate

Tickets are available online at Brown Paper Tickets www.brownpapertickets.org  or they may be reserved by calling 360-738-0893

Bellingham, WA.  Community to Community Development (C2C) will be hosting a dinner honoring legendary U.S. farm worker leader Cesar Chavez.  C2C, a local farm worker led organization is one of many across the country that will be hosting a week of action to bring attention to the plight of farm workers in the United States. Many of the actions are scheduled to coincide with the March 31st birthday of the late Cesar Chavez, co-founder of the United Farm Workers of America and historic figure in the farm worker movement “We support Farm worker Awareness Week, because we want our community to recognize the contributions of farm workers every day. Cesar Chavez taught us that working towards producing our food in a manner that does not exploit the land or people will in the long run improve the lives and communities where farm workers live and work,” said Rosalinda Guillen, Executive Director of C2C. 
 A traditional home cooked farm worker dinner of Chiles Rellenos with accompanying dishes will be prepared by Las Margaritas; a group of women members from Community to Community.  The event will feature a video presentation and a musical performance by farm worker and immigrant youth from the De Colores Multi-Cultural Youth Mentoring Program. The Youth Guitar Ensemble will perform a new repertoire.  The Capturing Change Girls Video Project will premiere a screening of their documentary about peer pressure in their high schools.

Farm Worker Awareness Week – 2008

Monday March 31st
Cooperativa Jacal – Si Se Puede! Inauguration
3599 Loomis Trail Rd., Blaine, WA

Roberto and Maria Guzman will officially announce the establishment of the first farm worker owned organic farming cooperative in Whatcom County – maybe even in Washington – the public welcomed to get a peek at their first plantings!
Hot coffee, chocolate, pan dulce y musica!

Thursday April 3rd     
Dialogue for Farm Worker Justice: Countering Oppression in the Food System
11:00am to 1:00pm
The Evergreen State College, Olympia Washington

Farm Worker members of Community to Community will be presenting about
their experiences in the agricultural and food system in the region. They will dialogue with students, consumers and community food co-op retailers about organic vs conventional, domestic fair trade, working conditions, protecting the land the feeds us and ways to save our family farming system.

Friday April 4th
Dialogue and Film Presentation: Fighting for our Lives
Offices of Community to Community – 203 W. Holly, Suite 318, Bellingham, WA
7:00pm to 9:00pm

An Oscar nominated portrayal of the UFW’s 1973 strike where grape workers made history by walking off the job from Coachella to Fresno to fight for a UFW contract. A moving testimony to the bravery of the farm workers in their non-violent struggle against police brutality on the picket lines. (60 minutes) There will be an informal community dialogue with local farm workers and leaders of Community to Community.

Monday April 7th
Viva La Campesina: Connecting to the Farm Worker Movement
Western Washington University – Communications Facility Room 224
6:00pm to 7:00pm
A presentation of the farm worker experience beginning with Cesar Chavez and the founding of the
UFW to today’s efforts for justice in our food system and the building of a domestic fair trade movement.
There will be film clips from the movie "Fighting for our Lives" and examples of the
inspirational traditional farm worker folk music from the era

Resources:  www.saf-unite.org, www.chavezfoundation.org, www.cesarchavezholiday.org
www.foodjustice.org