[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 84 (Tuesday, June 10, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H5127-H5129]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        CESAR CHAVEZ POST OFFICE

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 925) to redesignate the facility of the United States 
Postal Service located at 1859 South Ashland Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 
as the ``Cesar Chavez Post Office''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                H.R. 925

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. CESAR CHAVEZ POST OFFICE.

       (a) Redesignation.--The facility of the United States 
     Postal Service located at 1859 South Ashland Avenue in 
     Chicago, Illinois, and known as the Pilsen Post Office, shall 
     be known and designated as the ``Cesar Chavez Post Office''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the Cesar Chavez Post Office.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen).


                             General Leave

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks on H.R. 925.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 925, introduced by my distinguished colleague, the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Gutierrez), redesignates this postal 
facility in Chicago, Illinois, as the Cesar Chavez Post Office 
Building.
  This legislation deals with an American civil rights advocate. Cesar 
Chavez grew up as a migrant agrarian worker after being born in Arizona 
in 1927. As a young adult he became involved in the Community Service 
Organization and ultimately rose to the position of general director in 
1958.
  Four years later, Cesar Chavez left the CSO to join with some of his 
fellow wine grape pickers and form the National Farm Workers 
Association. This organization was active in acquiring service 
contracts from major growers in California. His ambition led him to 
merge the National Farm Workers Association with the Agricultural 
Workers Organizing Committee of the giant labor umbrella organization, 
the AFL-CIO. The upshot group became called the United Farm Workers 
Organizing Committee.
  In 1972, Cesar Chavez's organization became a member union of the 
AFL-CIO and he was named president. In this role, Cesar Chavez's 
influence only expanded, and he coordinated activities on agricultural 
issues.
  Cesar Chavez will be remembered for his stands in support of workers, 
in support of their wages and their rights, and the difference he has 
made in the lives of all current and future workers. His advocacy has 
led to countless agreements between business and labor on a variety of 
important issues.
  So my colleague from Illinois wants to name this post office for 
labor leader Cesar Chavez, and, therefore, Mr. Speaker, I urge all 
Members to support passage of H.R. 925.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleague in consideration of 
H.R. 925, legislation redesignating a postal facility after Cesar 
Chavez, a fighter for dignity, human rights, and livable working 
conditions.
  H.R. 925, which was introduced by my good friend and colleague, the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Gutierrez), on February 26, 2003, has met 
the committee policy and has been cosponsored by the entire Illinois 
delegation.
  Cesar Estrada Chavez, the founding leader of the first successful 
farm workers union, was born on March 31, 1927, near Yuma, Arizona, the 
second of six children. Cesar began working as a migrant worker when 
the family lost their land during the Depression. When he was 11 years 
old, the Chavez family followed the crop picking and moved to 
California, living in the trucks they drove.
  Although working in the fields and attending school was difficult, if 
not impossible, Cesar managed to do both and graduated from the eighth 
grade. Shortly afterwards, he joined the Navy. After his tour of duty, 
he began teaching Mexican farm workers to read and write so that they 
could take the test and become American citizens. This activity marked 
the beginning of Cesar's efforts to improve working conditions for 
migrant workers.
  Cesar Chavez founded the National Farm Workers Association in Delano, 
California, and in 1965 joined an AFL-CIO union strike against Delano 
Table and Wine Growers. This successful 5-year strike led supporters to 
the United Farm Workers, a national group of unions, churches, 
students, minorities and others. It became affiliated with the AFL-CIO.
  Cesar continued organizing workers, strike after strike. And he 
produced results. Farm workers gained collective bargaining rights and 
under union contracts enjoyed higher pay, health care and pension 
benefits.
  In 1984, Cesar called for another grape boycott, to protest the 
pesticide poisoning of grape workers and their farmers.
  Cesar Chavez passed away at the age of 66 on April 12, 1993. Before 
he died, he received the Aztec Eagle, Mexico's highest award given to 
people of Mexican heritage who have made major contributions outside of 
Mexico. On August 8, 1994, President William Clinton posthumously 
awarded Mr. Chavez the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest 
civilian honor in America.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague for seeking to honor the legacy

[[Page H5128]]

of Cesar Estrada Chavez, and urge swift passage of this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to my friend, the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Gutierrez), the sponsor of this 
legislation.
  Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend for yielding me 
time, and I thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for 
her work on the consideration of this bill today. I would like to also 
thank all of the staff members who worked tirelessly in making this 
possible, and specifically I would like to thank my good friend 
Danielle Simonetta and Michael Layman from the majority side for all of 
the work they have done in making this bill. And I say to Danielle 
specifically that my daughter sends her good wishes. She is doing 
better, and she is real excited about Cesar Chavez and the opportunity 
for the action that we can afford his life here today.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate today the life and legacy of Cesar 
Chavez and to recognize his passion for empowering workers and for 
defending the rights of the disadvantaged.
  The legislation we are considering today, H.R. 925, would designate a 
United States Postal Service facility at 1859 South Ashland Avenue in 
my district as the Cesar Chavez Post Office. The facility would serve 
as a permanent tribute and a lasting reminder of the selflessness and 
self-sacrifice that embodied Chavez's life and work.
  Mr. Speaker, this is not the first time a legislative body has paused 
to honor Cesar Chavez, and it is my hope it will not be the last. The 
more buildings, the more streets, the more stamps and the more parks 
that are designated, the more we can keep Cesar Chavez's principles, 
his passion and devotion alive, and the more we will be able to 
encourage others to continue the unfinished business that Cesar Chavez 
left behind, to take up his fight and his causes and to make similar 
sacrifices in the name of justice and dignity.
  Throughout history, there have been few individuals that have done 
more, that have fought harder or sacrificed as much to ensure dignity 
and decency for all workers than Cesar Chavez. The late Senator Robert 
F. Kennedy called him one of the heroic figures of our time.
  Cesar Chavez remains a champion to working people around the world 
and an inspiration to generations of Latinos, both here in this country 
and abroad, and his accomplishments are an enduring symbol and a 
shining example of what one man can achieve in the fight for fairness.
  Cesar Chavez stood up to the biggest, the most well-financed and the 
strongest corporate growers. He fought for farm workers who spent 
countless hours doing our Nation's most arduous and strenuous work.

                              {time}  1500

  He defended men and women crippled by despair and deplorable working 
conditions, so that they too could have a say in the fight for 
reasonable and respectable wages. Chavez fought for the most basic and 
the most fundamental and the most essential rights for workers. He 
fought so that growers would not spray pesticides while workers were in 
the fields. He fought so that they could have a clean water system and 
decent housing. And his actions and hard work were vital in achieving 
better pay for migrant farmers, to banning child labor abuses, and to 
mitigating the proliferation of sexual harassment of women workers.
  Cesar Chavez's courage and his character helped strengthen the farm 
workers movement, and his principles of nonviolence continue to play an 
important role in the quest for social justice and human rights and for 
a world without prejudice or injustice.
  Mr. Speaker, for everyone who has ever fought for fairness, Chavez is 
a model and a true mentor. Because he refused to let bigotry and bias 
go unchallenged, workers are better protected and represented today. 
Because he refused to respond to discrimination and intolerance with 
silence, we live in a better and more inclusive America.
  According to Chavez, ``The truest act of courage, the strongest act 
of manliness, is to sacrifice ourselves for others in a totally 
nonviolent struggle for justice. To be a man is to suffer for others.''
  At the time those eloquent words were articulated, Chavez was too 
weak to speak them himself. He was fasting in protest of violence 
against workers, and his speech had to be read by someone else.
  Throughout his life, Chavez never relented, he never backed down, and 
he never wavered from his commitment to nonviolence. When he passed 
away in 1993, more than 50,000 people attended his funeral to pay 
homage and their respects to a man who fought so fearlessly, so 
tirelessly for those not always heard or even seen in our society.
  A reporter wrote, ``During the vigil at the open casket on the day 
before the funeral, an old man lifted a child up to show him the small, 
gray-haired man who laid inside. `I am going to tell you about this man 
some day, he said.' ''
  The legislation we are discussing today would ensure that countless 
others remember to tell their children about this man, about his life, 
his lessons, and his legacy. It will also help educate tomorrow's 
leaders about the characteristics that they should appreciate, about 
the achievements that they celebrate, and about the types of 
individuals that they should emulate.
  Mr. Speaker, in the year since his passing, Chavez has been awarded 
many of our Nation's highest honors, including the 1994 Medal of 
Freedom. And the passage of this legislation, I believe, would serve as 
another important and lasting testament to the outstanding work of 
Cesar Chavez.
  At the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco, Chavez said, ``The 
consciousness and pride that were raised by our union are alive and 
thriving inside millions of young Hispanics who will never work on a 
farm.'' And we must work to keep that consciousness and pride alive in 
future generations. We must work to keep the consciousness and pride 
alive as we advocate for a new generation of immigrant workers.
  Every time someone in my community drops off a letter, goes to buy a 
stamp, or passes by the post office, they will be able to remember 
Cesar Chavez's life, remember his accomplishments, appreciate his 
vision and, ideally, summon the strength to embody his teaching in 
their daily activities. It will also serve as a focal point in a 
vibrant and growing Pilsen community and as a reminder of the 
challenges we face today.
  Mr. Speaker, Cesar Chavez gave workers everywhere a reason to believe 
and a reason to dream. He inspired them, with his desire and 
discipline, to stand together and to do better and to reach farther. 
And in doing so, he gave so many the courage and the strength to fight 
for equity and equality.
  That is why I urge the passage of this important legislation.
  In ending, Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my friends again, the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen), and my dear friend, the 
gentleman from Chicago, Illinois (Mr. Davis), who I know when we 
finally get this legislation approved will be standing with me in 
inaugurating this wonderful new post office for Cesar Chavez.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I do not believe we have any 
additional requests for time, but I yield myself such time as I may 
consume to note that I was pleased to have the opportunity to be in the 
company of Caesar Chavez on several occasions, at rallies, 
demonstrations, marches, and on picket lines, even in Chicago where 
there were no farms. It is an excellent way of remembering the great 
contributions that he has made.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers. Again, I 
want to thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Gutierrez), my good 
friend, for introducing this measure, and I urge all Members to support 
the adoption of this resolution.
  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 925, a 
bill to designate a U.S. Post Office in Chicago, IL the ``Cesar Chavez 
Post Office.'' I can think of no one more deserving of such an honor 
than the great civil rights leader, Cesar Chavez. I want to commend my 
colleague, Representative Gutierrez, for his leadership in bringing 
this legislation before the House and I am proud to join him as an 
original cosponsor.
  Cesar Chavez was an organizer, an activist, a protestor, a farm 
worker, a peace-lover, a father, and a son. Raised in a family of farm 
workers forced to migrate throughout the Southwest, Chavez was led by 
his compassion, his ability to inspire others to action, and

[[Page H5129]]

his deep sense of fairness and equality to organize and establish what 
is today the United Farmworkers of America. Because of his efforts, 
many farm workers today enjoy higher pay, family health coverage, 
pension benefits, and other contract protections. While we still have a 
long way to go in giving farm workers the fair pay and healthy work 
conditions they deserve, Cesar Chavez laid the foundation toward 
accomplishing those important goals.
  Cesar Chavez understood what it took to create a movement and he 
dedicated every part of his life to setting an example and leading the 
way. As a child and young man, he experienced firsthand the harsh 
working conditions of farm workers--the long hours, poverty wages, 
harassment, and abuse--as well as the limited access to education and 
health care. Understanding and addressing the roots of the problem, 
Chavez was able to make a lasting and significant impact. He conducted 
voter registration drives and campaigns against racial and economic 
discrimination. He led boycotts and pickets and hunger strikes. His 
nonviolent methods echoed those of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mahatma 
Gandhi. He showed us all how critical it is to organize people, to 
unify them for a cause, and to help them believe in themselves and 
their ability to make a difference.
  Cesar Chavez continues to be an example for us today. He taught us 
that ``Si se puede,'' or ``Yes we can.'' We can--and we must--help 
those with no voice, help those who are discriminated against, help 
those who are taken advantage of, and help those who live in poverty 
and are struggling to survive. If Cesar Chavez were alive today, I am 
sure he would still be leading the fight for fairness and equality for 
workers and their families. We must not let his legacy die; we must not 
let his great strides forward become giant steps backward. We must 
continue to work for what is right. I urge my colleagues to vote yes on 
H.R. 925.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in solidarity 
with my colleagues to honor the enduring legacy of Mr. Cesar Estrada 
Chavez.
  Mr. Chavez was born of humble beginnings in 1933 near Yuma, Arizona. 
Early in life, Mr. Chavez was forced to recognize the harsh realities 
of racism that all too often plagued communities of color. After his 
family's home and land were taken from them, Mr. Chavez knew first hand 
what it meant to be the victim of gross injustice. Yet despite this and 
similar experiences of discrimination, Mr. Chavez was not deterred. He 
often said that, ``the love for justice that is in us is not only the 
best part of our being but also the most true to our nature.''
  In 1945, Mr. Chavez joined the U.S. Navy and served in the Western 
Pacific during the end of WWII. After completing his military service, 
Mr. Chavez returned to his roots, working and laboring in the fields. 
By day Mr. Chavez picked apricots in an orchard outside of San Jose; by 
night he was actively involved in galvanizing voter registration 
drives. In 1952, Mr. Chavez was a full time organizer with the Chicago-
based Community Service Organization (CSO). Not only did he coordinate 
voter registration drives, but he battled racial and economic 
discrimination against Chicano residents and organized new CSO chapters 
across California and Arizona as well.
  In 1962, Mr. Chavez moved his wife and eight young children to 
California where he founded the National Farm Workers Association 
(NFWA). Cesar Chavez founded and led the first successful farm workers' 
union in U.S. history. In 1968, Mr. Chavez conducted a 25-day fast to 
reaffirm the United Farm Workers commitment to nonviolence. The late 
Senator Robert F. Kennedy called Cesar Chavez ``one of the heroic 
figures of our time'', and actually flew to be with Mr. Chavez when he 
ended his fast.
  In 1991, Mr. Chavez received the Aguila Azteca (The Aztec Eagle), 
Mexico's highest award presented to people of Mexican heritage who have 
made significant contributions outside of Mexico. Mr. Cesar Chavez 
passed away on April 23, 1993, at the age of 66. At the time of his 
death he was the president of the United Farm Workers of America, AFL-
CIO. On August 8, 1994 Cesar became the second Mexican American to 
receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor 
in the United States. The award was presented posthumously by then 
president, Bill Clinton.
  Given the immense and innumerable contributions that Mr. Cesar Chavez 
has made to our society in advocating for the rights and causes of the 
working poor, I hope that my colleagues will join me in voting 
affirmatively that the U.S. Postal Service Facility located at 1859 
Southland Avenue in Chicago, Illinois be designated at the ``Cesar 
Chavez Post Office''.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Duncan). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) that the 
House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 925.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________