[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 65 (Friday, April 7, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E831-E832]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


  HONORING THE CESAR CHAVEZ WRITING CONTEST AWARD WINNERS OF THE EAST 
                    SIDE UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT

                                 ______


                            HON. ZOE LOFGREN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, April 6, 1995
  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the remaining 
winners of the first annual Cesar Chavez writing contest held by the 
East Side Union High School District in San Jose, CA. I had the great 
privilege of attending the award ceremony honoring the student winners 
on March 31, 1995, and would like to continue sharing the essays and 
poems written by the student award winners with my colleagues.
  On April 4, 1994 I began by sharing the essays and poems of the grand 
prize winners and three of the first place winners. Yesterday, I shared 
the five remaining first prize entries, and the first three of eight 
second place winning entries. Today, I will share the remaining five 
essays and poems of the second place winners.
  The second prize winning essays and poems of Marie Aloy of Mount 
Pleasant High School, Mark Papellero of W.C. Overfelt High School, 
Raymond Ramirez of Piedmont Hills High School, Ester Martinez Estrada 
of Santa Teresa High School, and Anthonette Pena of Silver Creek High 
School follow:

                                Untitled

              (By Marie Aloy, Mount Pleasant High School)

       It was all very irrelevant to me. I'm not a farmer. I 
     didn't live during the Great Depression or the years 
     following. I don't grow fruit or pick it for that matter, and 
     I'm not even of Hispanic descent. The dates and strikes and 
     marches are just another group of history facts that I am 
     asked to know and memorize for one reason or another. So far 
     my life and the life and accomplishments of Cesar Chavez have 
     no relation or commonality to bind him to my memory . . . 
     except for one thing.
       Something that I value greatly, that earns my genuine 
     respect and admiration, I found hidden in a comment made 
     about the great and greatly known Cesar Chavez. Actually it 
     was his nephew Rudy Chavez Medina who inadvertently helped me 
     find my way to relate to Cesar Chavez. Rudy came and spoke to 
     us a few days ago about his famous uncle and mentioned 
     offhandedly that his uncle Cesar was never afraid to ask for 
     help. He was not the type to put himself on a pedestal for 
     everyone to worship. When a goal was achieved he didn't 
     credit it to his magnificent leadership. He praised everyone 
     involved, and humbly made himself equal to every individual 
     in the crowd. In a position of such great power I am amazed 
     and in awe that this man could remain so wonderfully humble.
       The ``equality'' of the man staggered me. He had 
     opportunities, as all celebrated leaders do, to leap from 
     poverty into a more comfortable life. But I'm sure he knew 
     that that separation between his life and the lives of the 
     farmers and laborers he inspired would lessen his 
     effectiveness as a leader. So he sacrificed his own comfort 
     for the welfare of the organization, for the thousands who 
     needed his guidance.
       They say he is comparable to Gandhi and took his passive 
     resistance techniques from Martin Luther King, Jr. as well. 
     He never put peoples' lives in danger. He wanted only a 
     better world and envisioned achieving that new existence in a 
     peaceful manner. No riots or destruction, only marches and 
     calm demonstrations. Usually human nature turns people to the 
     dark side of things. It is uplifting to learn about someone 
     who wanted only to help and made sure that he didn't hurt 
     anyone in the process.
       No facts or figures, just feelings. That is what binds us 
     together and that is what creates a bond in my mind and 
     heart. I never really knew who he was, and the bits and 
     pieces I had grasped had little to do with my life. Now I 
     know who he was and what he did. I know that he was humble to 
     the core and self-sacrificing in all that he did and a truly 
     great man.
                          The Lives of Workers

             (By Mark Papellero, W.C. Overfelt High School)

     4:00 am
     Wake up! Time for work!
     Here's a piece of bread and tiny glass of powder milk.
     Now go or you'll be late!

     5:00 am
     Plow. Have to work hard.
     Plow. Need to support the family.
     Plow. Need to survive.
     Plow. Simple.

     6:00 am
     The sun rises.
     Plow. Plant. Need clean water.
     Plow. Plant. Pesticides in my lungs.
     Plow. Plant. Tired.

     7:00 am
     The sun grows warm.
     Plow. Plant. Lift. Need to rest.
     Plow. Plant. Lift. Pesticide grows strong.
     Plow. Plant. Lift. Sweat.

     8:00 am
     The sun is warmer.
     The grower comes.
     He demands. He orders. He pushes.
     He is mad. He gets his way.

     9:00 am
     The sun gets hot.
     Plow. Plant. Lift. Carry. The work is too much.
     Plow. Plant. Lift. Carry. I am the pesticide.
     Plow. Plant. Lift. Carry. The condition needs to change.
     Plow. Plant. Lift. Carry. Sweat and Ache.
     This treatment has to stop. We have to overcome.
     Plow. Plant. Lift. Carry. Six more hours left.
                                                                    ____


                           Chavez Y La Causa

            (By Raymond Ramirez, Piedmont Hills High School)

     Just a man
     No more, No less
     Victim of intolerance
     Who just wanted the best

     For his people
     The workers of the field
     With words of compensation
     For the crops that they yield

     La Causa or The Cause
     A movement without fear
     It was forged by its people
     And it streamed like a tear

     They said it was impossible
     Pero si se puede hacer
     With hearts filled with determination
     Y amor para la mujer

     He carried on for years
     Giving only of himself
     He did it all for love
     And cared nothing for wealth

     His presents was mighty
     His movements was strong
     And although he is gone
     His glory lives on!

[[Page E832]]

                    A Hero to the Mexican Community

         (By Ester Martinez Estrada, Santa Teresa High School)

       No words I can write can describe how Cesar Estrada Chavez 
     dedicated his heart and soul to love and justice as we all 
     know.
       He was a leader that influenced strongly on rights.
       A man that went out there and suffered with others day and 
     night.
       Cesar Chavez supported nonviolent actions on their part. 
     For he declared, ``truest act of courage, the strongest act 
     of manliness, is to sacrifice ourselves for others in a 
     totally nonviolent struggle for justice,'' and this came from 
     his heart.
       Farmworkers gathered in his demonstrations and his strikes 
     to unite the true Mexican pride.
       A pride no Mexican individual can hide.
       They came together for the security of justice in peace.
       They came together with strength to see their work 
     environment rights be released.
       They came together to rise out of the fields and stand up 
     and never sit 'till they were treated with respect and good 
     pay.
       They came together to revise their situation and at least 
     get minimum wage.
       Cesar Chavez joined hands with his line of Mexican blood 
     without fear.
       Cesar Chavez led the Mexican community hoping their aim and 
     dream was near.
       For they all knew that they had to start today for the sake 
     of the future's eye.
       Together and always together they had to rise.
       Together they all struggled and prayed.
       Together they knew justice would serve one day.
       Cesar Chavez and his fellow farmworkers came out of nowhere 
     and bewildered all on their way to their destination.
       Without the help of Cesar Chavez, injustice would have gone 
     on for generations.
       Cesar died peacefully in his sleep and is now up in heaven.
       He symbolized the brown pride and that strength of 
     respectible love.
       Now is the time Mexicans can stand proud and say, ``My bond 
     is Cesar Estrada Chavez and no one can ask why.''
                                                                    ____

                              Cesar Chavez

             (By Anthonette Pena, Silver Creek High School)

       As a young boy, Cesar Estrada Chavez experienced the 
     hardships of being the son of a migrant farm worker. As his 
     family worked in the crops, they learned hoe to survive in 
     the harsh conditions such as lack of shelter, money, and even 
     food. Racism was also an issue that affected his life. 
     Although his family were third generation Americans, because 
     his ancestors are Mexicans, he was classified as a second-
     class citizen.
       After working with the Community Service Organization from 
     1952 until 1962, he then moved on to found the National Farm 
     Worker's Association. Under the NFWA, he organized nationwide 
     boycotts of grapes, wine, and lettuce in an attempt to 
     pressure California growers to sign a contract which would 
     increase the farm worker's pay and provide them with a 
     minimum amount of safety, Cesar Chavez became a symbol of 
     hope for the people.
       In particular, youth can look up to Cesar Chavez as a role 
     model because it is at this point in our lives that we want 
     to take an active role in mending society's flaws and begin 
     to stand up for what we believe it. However, many of us are 
     unsure of the role we should play and how far we are willing 
     to go to stand by our decisions. As children, we had the 
     vision of making a difference and had dreams of leading a 
     successful life. At this age, reality begins to take its toll 
     and we realize that if we really want to make a difference 
     and lead a successful life there are things which we must do 
     to accomplish these goals. Like Cesar Chavez, we must be 
     willing to put ourselves on the line and uphold our 
     principles and defend our sense of morality.
       Cesar Chavez was a man who was not only determined, but 
     courageous as well. ``The only way is to keep struggling,'' 
     he says. ``Fighting for social justice is one of the most 
     profound ways in which a man can say yea to man's dignity, 
     and that really means sacrifice. There is no way on this 
     earth in which you can say yes to a man's dignity and know 
     that you're going to be spared some sacrifice.''
     

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