South El Monte community gathers to celebrate Cesar Chavez’s legacy
SOUTH EL MONTE – Instead of taking it easy this holiday, a few dozen local residents and students commemorated the legacy of famed farm labor leader Cesar Chavez by learning a bit about farming.
About 100 residents and students from throughout the San Gabriel Valley gathered for the second annual Cesar Chavez community service day at the Earthworks Community Farm in South El Monte.
They planted flowers, learned how to grow crops at the all-organic farm and participated in educational workshops about Chavez, a civil rights activist who aimed to improve the lives of farmworkers and helped found the National Farm Workers Association in the 1970s.
"He helped a lot of Hispanics and immigrants and was big in the civil rights movement," said event coordinator Ivan Garcia.
Managed by the San Gabriel Valley Conservation Corps, the Earthworks Community Farm on Lerma Road for the past seven years has helped educate, train and find work for underprivileged youths.
"This is really a day of community service and honoring Cesar Chavez and teaching our community about healthy eating and healthy living," Garcia said.
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