City marches in celebration of migrant hero, labor leader César Chávez
Celebrities begin campaign to make César Chávez’s birthdate a national holiday
By Natalie Olivares
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Chávez march takes place around the nation, but this city yields the biggest turnout of supporters.
Among the crowd were organizations such as the League of United Latin American Citizens; Fuerza Unida; César Chávez Foundation; Texas Families of Incarcerated Youth; the International Union of Electronic, Electrical, Salaried, Machine and Furniture Workers; and student organizations from St. Luke’s Catholic School, Fox Tech High School, Our Lady of the Lake University and Palo Alto College.
Student government members from Palo Alto College passed out American flags funded by the Student Activity Fee Committee.
"We participate every year in the march," Selso Casares, business administration sophomore and Student government president from Palo Alto, said. "We are here to support the dreams and goals of Chávez."
Chávez, a labor leader and farmworker, along with Dolores Huerta founded the National Farm Workers Association in Delano, Calif., in 1962 in an effort to organize farm workers.
This organization later joined with the Filipino members of the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee to form the United Farm Workers Organization Committee.
Chávez led thousands of farm workers in the fight for better working conditions, higher wages and social justice by leading boycotts, rallies and marches throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
Under Chávez’s leadership, the UFW won contracts for higher wages, health coverage, pensions and other benefits. Chávez continued to advocate and fight for social justice and equal rights until his death in 1993.
Labor issues among others were discussed Saturday.
Martinez announced to the crowd that in January during a press conference in Los Angeles, it was announced that three activist celebrities Â- musician Carlos Santana and actors Edward James Olmos and Martin Sheen – are going to serve as co-chairs of the César E. Chávez National Holiday Organization in support of observing March 31, Chávez’s birthday, as a federal holiday.
The crowd roared with delight.
In an official press release, Olmos called Chávez "a gift to humanity" who "deserves to be honored with a national holiday."
Martinez went on to express his support of Texas Families of Incarcerated Youth, an organization based in Austin that advocates for imprisoned youth who are mistreated, underrepresented, under rehabilitated and undereducated in juvenile facilities. The organization also protests against the imprisonment of illegal immigrants and their families who are detained in Hutto, a facility in Georgetown.
"Children are being imprisoned because their parents do not have papers!" Martinez screamed.
Border activist Jay Johnson from Del Rio added, "Our country will imprison people who are seeking freedom … where is our moral conscience? We cannot be quiet. Silence is complicity."
The crowd screamed and chanted, "Shut Hutto down, free the children!"
Another major issue was the education of minorities.
Jessica Martinez, 17, National Youth President of LULAC, urged supporters to advocate for higher education for minorities. Martinez delivered a dynamic speech insisting that education is the only way out of poverty. "We need to get our education in order to prosper," Martinez said. She pressed that organized activism will yield changes.
"We must be a servant of the people," Martinez said, quoting Chávez.
Mayor Phil Hardberger agreed: "We must lock arms — the fight is not over. We have made progress, but we will make more!"
For more information on the César E. Chávez National Holiday Organization, go to www.CesarChavezholiday.org.