on passage of state Chavez holiday bill
The Chavez family and the United Farm Workers are grateful to Gov. Davis for agreeing to sign the bill, to Sen. Polanco for waging a determined two-year effort to enact SB 984, to all the lawmakers who voted for the measure and to the tens of thousands of Californians who have lent it their support.
During his lifetime, Cesar always tried to avoid personal recognition because he knew his work was really accomplished with the help of millions of decent people from all walks of life. So this bill is really a tribute to those who marched with him and sacrificed for farm workers and others who are less fortunate.
Therefore, we believe today’s action is meaningful because, under the education and public service provisions of Sen. Polanco’s bill, millions of school children will learn about Cesar’s lessons on social justice, nonviolence and service to others.
With this unique legislation, Cesar’s birthday won’t be just another holiday. It will be a living tribute to this great man. It will be what Cesar was all about. He didn’t just talk about helping the poorest and most powerless among us change their lives; he went out and did something about it.
We can’t think of a more meaningful way to honor Cesar Chavez’s legacy for generations to come.
Helen F. Chavez, widow of United Farm Workers founder and president Cesar Chavez, issued the following statement from the UFW’s Keene, Calif. headquarters where she lives a short distance from her husband’s grave site after receiving word that the Legislature approved SB 984, by state Sen. Richard Polanco (D-Los Angeles), which creates a paid state holiday in California on Chavez’s March 31 birthday:
The Chavez family and the United Farm Workers are grateful to Gov. Davis for agreeing to sign the bill, to Sen. Polanco for waging a determined two-year effort to enact SB 984, to all the lawmakers who voted for the measure and to the tens of thousands of Californians who have lent it their support.
During his lifetime, Cesar always tried to avoid personal recognition because he knew his work was really accomplished with the help of millions of decent people from all walks of life. So this bill is really a tribute to those who marched with him and sacrificed for farm workers and others who are less fortunate.
Therefore, we believe today’s action is meaningful because, under the education and public service provisions of Sen. Polanco’s bill, millions of school children will learn about Cesar’s lessons on social justice, nonviolence and service to others.
With this unique legislation, Cesar’s birthday won’t be just another holiday. It will be a living tribute to this great man. It will be what Cesar was all about. He didn’t just talk about helping the poorest and most powerless among us change their lives; he went out and did something about it.
We can’t think of a more meaningful way to honor Cesar Chavez’s legacy for generations to come.