[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 43 (Wednesday, March 28, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E465]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E465]]



       HONORING LABOR LEADER CESAR CHAVEZ WITH A NATIONAL HOLIDAY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CIRO D. RODRIGUEZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 28, 2001

  Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the lasting 
contributions of a true American hero, Cesar Chavez. On April 23, 1992, 
Cesar Estrada Chavez ended his 66-year crusade against injustice in 
much the same way he began it--quietly and peacefully. More than 40,000 
people participated in his funeral, honoring a hero who brought dignity 
to the voiceless men, women, and children laboring in America's crop 
lands. Now, on the March 31st anniversary of his birth, Congress is 
slated to consider H. Con. Res. 3, the first step in establishing a 
permanent federal holiday to honor Cesar Chavez.
  President Clinton posthumously awarded Cesar Chavez the Medal of 
Freedom in recognition of his outstanding contributions to American 
labor. Chavez was also inducted into the U.S. Labor Department's Hall 
of Fame, the first Hispanic to be given this honor. This weekend, I 
will proudly take to the streets of San Antonio, Texas, with thousands 
of South Texans to honor Cesar Chavez and La Causa during San Antonio's 
annual March for Justice.
  Though awards and commemoration are important, Cesar Chavez did not 
seek out recognition for himself. Instead, he fought for what he called 
La Causa. For the millions of exploited and vulnerable farmworkers who, 
from dawn till dusk, plant, plow, and pick, La Causa was a tireless 
commitment to improving their plight, a recognition of the injustices 
they suffer.
  His commitment transcended the hot, dusty fields. He was a husband, 
father, grandfather, labor organizer, community leader, and an icon for 
the ongoing struggle for equal rights and equal opportunity. Beyond 
agrarian America, he organized community voter registration drives, 
pushed for safer working conditions, and stood up to those who would 
deny his fellow laborers their basic human rights. The migrant schools 
he worked so hard to establish are a testament to his exhaustive 
efforts and a rare opportunity for many of America's laboring children 
to escape poverty.
  Chavez rose from a fruit and vegetable picker to the head of the 
United Farm Workers of America (UFW). From the beginning, he worked to 
instill in the UFW the principals of non-violence practiced by Mahatma 
Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. When the UFW began striking in 
the 1960s to protest the treatment of farm workers, the strikers took a 
pledge of non-violence. The 25 day fast Chavez conducted reaffirmed the 
UFW's commitment to this principle.
  For those of us who lived through this tumultuous era, we heard of 
the great odds Chavez faced as he led successful boycotts of grapes, 
wine, and lettuce in an attempt to pressure California growers to sign 
contracts with the UFW. Through his boycott, Chavez was able to forge a 
national support coalition of unions, church groups, students, 
minorities, and consumers. By the end of the boycott everyone knew the 
chant that unified all groups, ``Si se puede.''--yes we can. It remains 
a chant of encouragement, pride and dignity.
  America has seen few leaders like Chavez. But his battle is not over. 
Those of us who continue his fight do so in order to give voices to the 
voiceless laborers no matter where they work or who they are. To honor 
his memory, Congress should pass H. Con. Res. 3, another step in the 
ongoing struggle to make his birthday a national day of remembrance.
  In his own words, ``I am convinced that the truest act of courage, 
the strongest act of humanity, is to sacrifice ourselves for others in 
a totally non-violent struggle for justice . . . to be human is to 
suffer for others . . . God help us be human.'' Let us take these words 
and move forward in our continuous struggle for justice.

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