Students, faculty and staff came together March 31 for a Cesar Chavez Day Celebration to view art, listen to the music of Mariachi Del Mar, hear poetry dedicated to Chavez, learn about his life and work, celebrate his birthday and share traditional Mexican food.

Tito Perez, a Spoken Word Artist, recited poetry he had written that was influenced by Chavez.

“This celebration informs a new generation of unknown history,” Renato Ramirez, professor of Political Science said.Chavez was a Mexican American labor leader and civil rights activist who co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, now known as the United Farm Workers.

Students “don’t know that he was a great American hero, not just a Mexican American hero,” Dr. Eva Muniz, associate professor of English, said. “They don’t know that he sacrificed himself by going on hunger strikes to protest the ill treatment of migrant workers.”

Muniz attributes students’ lack of knowledge about Chavez to high school curriculums neglecting to focus on Mexican American history.

“I believe it is up to faculty in higher education to make sure students know all the facts and information about U.S. history – including such heroes as Cesar Chavez – so that students are able to formulate their own ideas and opinions about the world around them,” Muniz said.

Chavez’s dedication to his cause still resonates today in memorials such as the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation and his philosophy of activism lives on in others.

“Cesar Chavez had a great passion for education,” Muniz said. “Like him, we need to be willing to take a stand and change our world for the better.”

The DMC Chapter of the Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education (TACHE) sponsored the event.