Cesar Chavez remembered at Baldwin Park Interfaith breakfast
And there are still many that carry on Chavez’s work and legacy.
"In this community, we need to honor Cesar Chavez’s legacy and the legacy of the whole sense of the worker," said the Rev. Michael Gutierrez, St. John the Baptist Church pastor. "[In the church] we see ourselves as a part of the solution and we want to engage the community."
On Friday, April 1, the Baldwin Park church brought together various groups and leaders to honor the life of Chavez during their second annual Cesar Chavez Day Interfaith Breakfast.
The UFW, National Farm Workers Movement (NFWM) and Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) co-sponsored the event.
"This is a multi-faith event," Gutierrez said. "What Cesar Chavez showed us is we need to do things in a collaborative way for it to work."
The event welcomed the Rev. Alexia Salvatierra and Rabbi Jonathan Klein from Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice Los Angeles (CLUE LA) as speakers; Dr. Luis Cruz, Baldwin Park High School principal, as master of ceremonies; a special performance by musician Francisco Herrera; and special guest speaker Arturo S. Rodriguez, UFW president.
Rodriguez took over as president of the UFW soon after Chavez’ death in 1993. Rodriguez was married to Chavez’s daughter Linda, who died in 2000.
"[Cesar Chavez] wasn’t one to look for the prestige," said Rodriguez of the streets, buildings, schools and more named after Chavez.
"That really shows the support and there are a lot of people who honor his memory," he added as he spoke during the breakfast. "Each of us can make a difference in our own way."
Despite years of positive changes and efforts, Rodriguez said there is still plenty of work to be done for farm workers.
David Gaither, left, serves breakfast to Fermin Duenas during St. John the Baptist Social Services’ second annual Cesar Chavez Day Interfaith Breakfast on April 1, 2011 in Baldwin Park. Proceeds benefit the church’s Social Services program in its efforts to aid those in need in the community. (Eric Reed / Staff Photographer)
He told a story of the 2008 heat death of a 17-year-old pregnant farm worker Maria Isavel Vasquez Jimenez and many others that year, despite California’s state heat regulation issued by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2005.
"I grew up on a ranch. I know what it is to suffer working in the fields," said Margarita Mota, an NFWM member and Baldwin Park resident. "We need to educate the community. We need to teach the workers of their rights and not to be afraid."
The UFW is currently working to bring attention to SB104, a recent bill presented by California Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) that would give farmworkers the option of unionizing without the usual petition and reduce intimidation tactics.
Rodriguez said the bill has a good start, as it was approved with a 24-14 vote by the state Senate and sent to the Assembly on Cesar Chavez Day, March 31, his birthday. Similar bills were previously vetoed during Gov. Schwarzenegger’s four-year term. Rodriguez hopes Gov. Jerry Brown’s previous support of farmworker union laws will give the bill better success.
"Events like today demonstrate that Chavez’s legacy really lives on in the community," Rodriguez said. "It gives people a sense of hope. Farm workers could change their lives, they could be successful."
Assemblyman Roger Hernandez, field representative Jorge Marquez for state Senator Ed Hernandez, Baldwin Park Unified School District representatives, local businesses such as Walgreens, representatives from the Orange County Interfaith Committee to Aid Farm Workers and others were also in attendance.
"We all eat and we forget how that food shows up on our table," said Suzanne Darweesh, OC Interfaith Committee member. "The farm workers are always forgotten. [Events like today] are terrific."
Proceeds from the breakfast will benefit the church’s Social Services program, the non-profit group serving the poor and needy in Baldwin Park and surrounding communities.
For more on the Social Services program, visit http://sjbsocialservices.blogspot.com.
Founded in 1962, the United Farm Workers of America is the nation’s first successful and largest farm workers union currently active in 10 states.
For more information on the UFW, visit www.ufw.org, and www.nfwm.org for the NFWM.
"People with their own lives can keep the legacy of Cesar Chavez alive as long as people keep fighting for justice and equality," said Rodriguez.
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