Cesar Chavez national holiday is on March 31, this is his birthday. President Barack Obama finally made it a national holiday on April 1 2008. President Barack Obama states, "Chavez left a legacy as an educator, environmentalist, and a civil rights leader. And his cause lives on. As farm workers and laborers across America continue to struggle for fair treatment and fair wages, we find strength in what Cesar Chavez accomplished so many years ago. And we should honor him for what he's taught us about making America a stronger, more just, and more prosperous nation. That's why I support the call to make Cesar Chavez's birthday a national holiday. It's time to recognize the contributions of this American icon to the ongoing efforts to perfect our union." In my opinion I agree with the president, Cesar Chaves is an idol for many Mexican-Americans. He did something that not many people have the courage to do and that is to challenge the status-quo.
Here in California there are many monuments that honor the hard work that Cesar Chavez has done. For example, in the city of San Fernando there is a park dedicated to him. In that park there are many murals that have his face on it and that also have images that represent the UFW.
Another monument that is dedicated to Cesar Chavez is in downtown San Jose the Cesar Chavez plaza, is where Christmas in the park and music in the park takes place every year.
.
Overall all these monuments are a really nice way to show Cesar Chavez how much everyone appreciates him and all the hard work that he did to fight for workers rights.
Thanks for this great post! I share your opinion that "we should honor him for what he's taught us about making America a stronger, more just, and more prosperous nation." This statement is very powerful because it reflects a deep understanding of his contribution to this society. I think that what Cesar Chavez did for this nation was to help strengthen the collective resolve to stand behind "with justice and liberty for all." School children have placed their hands over their hearts and said the pledge of allegiance, but without Chavez's efforts the words alone fell short. Before activists like MLK, Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez united the public through non-violent action, this nation had a hard time looking in the mirror. So I agree with your statement that he helped create a more "prosperous nation," but I also think he made this country live up to its promise.
ReplyDelete