[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 106 (Thursday, August 4, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 4, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
 HONORING HELEN F. CHAVEZ FOR HER UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO THE UNITED 
                           FARM WORKERS UNION

                                 ______


                       HON. ESTEBAN EDWARD TORRES

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, August 4, 1994

  Mr. TORRES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Helen F. Chavez, the 
beloved wife of the late civil rights labor leader, Cesar Chavez. On 
August 8, 1994, Cesar Chavez will posthumously receive the Presidential 
Medal of Freedom. Helen will receive the award on his behalf and on the 
behalf of all the farm workers she and Cesar have fought for all their 
lives.
  The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the country's highest civilian 
honor. Recipients have demonstrated the highest ideals of their fellow 
citizens. Cesar Chavez dedicated his life to improving the working 
conditions for thousands of individuals who pick the crops which feed 
America. Cesar not only founded the United Farm Workers Union, but he 
left a legacy that we can all identify with and benefit from, his 
doctrine of nonviolence.
  Always beside Cesar was his supporting wife, Helen, often 
overshadowed on the limelight but never eclipsed. The daughter of 
Mexican farm workers, Helen was born on January 21, 1928, in Brawley, 
CA. Her parents had seven children and were farm workers until the days 
of their deaths. It was in Brawley that she began her life's journey 
with farm workers. And it is in these fields where she labored that she 
met her partner for life, Cesar Chavez.
  Married on October 22, 1948, in Delano, CA, she and Cesar not only 
committed their lives to each other, but also to fight for better 
conditions for the farm workers of California's Central Valley. Having 
both labored in the fields since their childhood, they knew the day-to-
day struggles of the farm workers all too well.
  In 1965, Cesar started organizing support for a farm workers union. 
One of the benefits union members could receive is to belong to a 
credit union. In 1967, Cesar passed the torch to Helen to run the 
credit union. Helen had no formal accounting or banking training, but 
nonetheless taught herself how to manage an efficient credit union. The 
credit union offered stability to these laborers since they could save 
money, collect interest, and take out loans at a low interest rate. 
Most farm workers do not earn enough money to take out loans and to 
lead stable lifestyles because of their constant movement. Under 
Helen's leadership, though, the membership not only grew from 7 members 
to 2,100 at its height, the farm workers had a chance to invest in a 
better tomorrow.
  In addition to her commitment to the credit union and her work in the 
fields, Helen also raised 8 children, Fernando, Sylvia, Linda, Eloise, 
Anna, Paul, Elizabeth, and Anthony, 29 grandchildren, and, 2 great-
grandchildren. They lived in humble settings, and she credits her 
children as being good soldiers in the fight for justice for all.
  Since Cesar's death in April 1993, Helen and her children have not 
relented in the fight for better working conditions for farm laborers, 
but more importantly, for justice for all who suffer at the hands of 
injustice.
  All political leaders have power. But, true power emanates from deep 
within the individual. The silent spirit of Helen Chavez has called us 
all to hear the simple message of two farm workers, ``Don't be afraid. 
Stay strong. And keep fighting for equality and dignity.''
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to a 
strong women we can all learn from, Helen F. Chavez.

                          ____________________