[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 559 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 559

    Honoring the accomplishments and legacy of Cesar Estrada Chavez.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 5, 2020

Mr. Menendez (for himself, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Booker, Ms. 
Cortez Masto, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Harris, Mr. Heinrich, Ms. 
 Hirono, and Ms. Klobuchar) submitted the following resolution; which 
             was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
    Honoring the accomplishments and legacy of Cesar Estrada Chavez.

Whereas Cesar Estrada Chavez was born on March 31, 1927, near Yuma, Arizona;
Whereas Cesar Estrada Chavez spent his early years on a family farm;
Whereas, at the age of 10, Cesar Estrada Chavez joined the thousands of migrant 
        farm workers laboring in fields and vineyards throughout the Southwest 
        after a bank foreclosure resulted in the loss of the family farm;
Whereas Cesar Estrada Chavez, after attending more than 30 elementary and middle 
        schools and achieving an eighth grade education, left school to work 
        full-time as a farm worker to help support his family;
Whereas, at the age of 17, Cesar Estrada Chavez entered the United States Navy 
        and served the United States with distinction for 2 years;
Whereas, in 1948, Cesar Estrada Chavez returned from military service to marry 
        Helen Fabela, whom he had met while working in the vineyards of central 
        California;
Whereas Cesar Estrada Chavez and Helen Fabela had 8 children;
Whereas, as early as 1949, Cesar Estrada Chavez was committed to organizing farm 
        workers to campaign for safe and fair working conditions, reasonable 
        wages, livable housing, and the outlawing of child labor;
Whereas, in 1952, Cesar Estrada Chavez joined the Community Service 
        Organization, a prominent Latino civil rights group, and worked with the 
        organization to coordinate voter registration drives and conduct 
        campaigns against discrimination in East Los Angeles;
Whereas Cesar Estrada Chavez served as the national director of the Community 
        Service Organization;
Whereas, in 1962, Cesar Estrada Chavez left the Community Service Organization 
        to establish the National Farm Workers Association, which eventually 
        became the United Farm Workers of America;
Whereas, under the leadership of Cesar Estrada Chavez, the United Farm Workers 
        of America organized thousands of migrant farm workers to fight for fair 
        wages, health care coverage, pension benefits, livable housing, and 
        respect;
Whereas Cesar Estrada Chavez was a strong believer in the principles of 
        nonviolence practiced by Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.;
Whereas Cesar Estrada Chavez effectively used peaceful tactics that included 
        fasting for 25 days in 1968, 25 days in 1972, and 38 days in 1988 to 
        call attention to the terrible working and living conditions of farm 
        workers in the United States;
Whereas, through his commitment to nonviolence, Cesar Estrada Chavez brought 
        dignity and respect to the organized farm workers and became an 
        inspiration to and a resource for individuals engaged in human rights 
        struggles throughout the world;
Whereas the influence of Cesar Estrada Chavez extends far beyond agriculture and 
        provides inspiration for individuals working to better human rights, 
        empower workers, and advance the American Dream, which includes all 
        individuals of the United States;
Whereas Cesar Estrada Chavez died on April 23, 1993, at the age of 66 in San 
        Luis, Arizona, only miles from his birthplace;
Whereas more than 50,000 people attended the funeral services of Cesar Estrada 
        Chavez in Delano, California;
Whereas Cesar Estrada Chavez was laid to rest at the headquarters of the United 
        Farm Workers of America, known as ``Nuestra Senora de La Paz'', located 
        in the Tehachapi Mountains in Keene, California;
Whereas, since the death of Cesar Estrada Chavez, schools, parks, streets, 
        libraries, and other public facilities, as well as awards and 
        scholarships, have been named in his honor;
Whereas more than 10 States and dozens of communities across the United States 
        honor the life and legacy of Cesar Estrada Chavez each year on March 31;
Whereas March 31 is recognized as an official State holiday in California, 
        Colorado, and Texas, and there is growing support to designate the 
        birthday of Cesar Estrada Chavez as a national day of service to 
        memorialize his heroism;
Whereas, during his lifetime, Cesar Estrada Chavez was a recipient of the Martin 
        Luther King Jr. Peace Prize;
Whereas, on August 8, 1994, Cesar Estrada Chavez was posthumously awarded the 
        Presidential Medal of Freedom;
Whereas, on October 8, 2012, President Barack Obama authorized the Secretary of 
        the Interior to establish a Cesar Estrada Chavez National Monument in 
        Keene, California;
Whereas President Barack Obama was the last President to honor the life and 
        service of Cesar Estrada Chavez by proclaiming March 31, 2016, to be 
        ``Cesar Chavez Day'' and by asking all people of the United States to 
        observe March 31 with service, community, and education programs to 
        honor the enduring legacy of Cesar Estrada Chavez; and
Whereas the United States should continue the efforts of Cesar Estrada Chavez to 
        ensure equality, justice, and dignity for all people of the United 
        States: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes the accomplishments and example of Cesar 
        Estrada Chavez, a great hero of the United States;
            (2) pledges to promote the legacy of Cesar Estrada Chavez; 
        and
            (3) encourages the people of the United States to 
        commemorate the legacy of Cesar Estrada Chavez and to always 
        remember his great rallying cry, ``tSi, se puede!'', which is 
        Spanish for ``Yes, we can!''.
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