[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 48 (Thursday, March 25, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E561]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              CESAR CHAVEZ

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 25, 1999

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the organizing work of 
Cesar Chavez and to memorialize his lifelong struggle for justice, 
respect, and decent living conditions for America's farm workers.
  Cesar Chavez was born on March 31, 1927, on a small farm in Arizona. 
When he died in 1993, at the age of 66, Cesar was President of the 
United Farm Workers of America. For most of his life, Cesar toiled on 
farms--both picking fruit and organizing workers--and dedicated himself 
to improving the plight of migrant workers.
  Cesar grew up living as a migrant farm worker in the Southwest, and 
migrated with his family in their struggles to earn a living. His 
experiences taught him the importance of collective action and the 
importance of organizing to address America's economic and social 
inequity.
  Cesar Chavez and his family were living in the East San Jose barrio 
of Sal Si Puedes, roughly translated this means Get Out If You Can, in 
1952. That year, Cesar met Fred Ross Sr., an organizer for the 
Community Service Organization (C.S.O.), one of the first civic action 
groups in the Mexican-American communities of California and Arizona. 
Fred Ross became his mentor, and together they built 32 chapters of the 
C.S.O., organizing thousands of Mexican Americans to become active 
leaders of their communities. Cesar taught these leaders how to 
organize and win battles to end discrimination in education, housing, 
employment and health care. He led successful citizenship, voter 
registration, and get out the vote campaigns in both urban and rural 
communities throughout California. Because of his efforts, more than 
500,000 new voters were added to America's rolls in the 1950's and 
early 1960's
  Due to his determination and hard work, he rose from his humble 
origins to become the national director of CSO. He departed in 1962 to 
found the National Farm Workers Association. Against great odds, Cesar 
led a successful five year strike and boycott that rallied millions of 
supporters to the farm workers movement. He forged an international 
support coalition of unions, religious groups, students, minorities and 
fair minded consumers.
  From the beginning, he adhered to the principles of non-violence 
practiced by Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In 1968, Cesar 
fasted for 25 days to reaffirm the UFW's commitment to non-violence. 
The late Senator Robert F. Kennedy called Cesar ``one of the heroic 
figures of our time'' and joined him in Delano when he ended his fast.
  Cesar's work has had a lasting impact on our nation. Seventeen 
million Americans honored the grape boycott, and thousands joined his 
non-violent struggle for justice in more active ways, through picket 
lines, civil disobedience, going to jail, and working as five dollar 
per week plus room and board volunteers, the same compensation that 
Cesar earned. My San Francisco District Director, Fred Ross Jr., son of 
Cesar's mentor, was one of these young people inspired by Cesar to join 
the cause and help migrant workers win the respect, dignity, and decent 
living conditions that they deserved.
  On August 8, 1994, Cesar posthumously received the Presidential Medal 
of Freedom, the highest honor in the United States. Recently, the U.S. 
Department of Labor honored him by inducting him into its Hall of Fame.
  I support House Joint Resolution 22, To Commemorate the Birthday of 
Cesar E. Chavez, which would declare March 31 a Federal holiday in his 
honor. Cesar dedicated his life to improving the living conditions of 
America's workers. I urge my colleagues to recognize his life's work.

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