Banquet Saturday at Western will honor Cesar Chavez, area activists

BY ROBERTO ACOSTA, racosta@kalamazoogazette.com

KALAMAZOO — The president of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities will be the keynote speaker at a banquet Saturday at Western Michigan University’s Fetzer Center honoring civil rights leader Cesar Chavez.

Antonio Flores, a WMU almunus and the Hispanic Association’s president, will address Chavez’s legacy for Hispanics and education. The 7 p.m. banquet is sponsored by WMU’s Division of Multicultural Affairs and the Southwest Michigan Cesar Chavez Day Committee.

The association represents the more than 450 colleges and universities that serve about two-thirds of the more than two million Hispanic students in U.S. higher education.

Chavez was a leader for more than 30 years in the nonviolent struggle to improve civil rights and working conditions for migrant farm laborers. He co-founded what is now known as the United Farm Workers of America, the nation’s first successful farm-workers union. Chavez died in 1993.

The banquet will include announcement of the winner of this year’s Tri-Community Award, which recognizes people in southwestern Michigan who make outstanding contributions to bringing together all segments of the community.

An art exhibit also will feature work from Grand Rapids artist Eva Martinez and students from the Van Buren County Intermediate School District.

Tickets for the banquet are $40. To register, call (269) 674-8091, ext. 506. For information, contact Miguel Ramirez at 387-3329 or miguel.ramirez@ wmich.edu.

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