[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 55 (Thursday, March 29, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S4217]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 138--HONORING THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND LEGACY OF CESAR 
                             ESTRADA CHAVEZ

  Mr. SALAZAR (for himself, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Reid, Mr. Durbin, Ms. 
Stabenow, Mr. Bingaman, Mrs. Boxer, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. 
Webb, and Mr. Kerry) submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 138

       Whereas Cesar Estrada Chavez was born on March 31, 1927, 
     near Yuma, Arizona, where he spent his early years on his 
     family's farm,
       Whereas, at the age of 10, Cesar Estrada Chavez joined the 
     thousands of migrant farm workers laboring in fields and 
     vineyards throughout the Southwest, when his family lost 
     their farm due to a bank foreclosure;
       Whereas Cesar Estrada Chavez, after attending more than 30 
     elementary and middle schools and achieving an eighth-grade 
     education, left to work full-time as a farm worker to help 
     support his family;
       Whereas, at the age of 17, Cesar Estrada Chavez entered the 
     United States Navy and served the Nation with distinction for 
     2 years;
       Whereas, in 1948, Cesar Estrada Chavez returned from 
     military service to marry Helen Fabela, whom he met working 
     in the vineyards of central California, and had 8 children;
       Whereas, as early as 1949, Cesar Estrada Chavez committed 
     himself to organizing farm workers to campaign for safe and 
     fair working conditions, reasonable wages, decent housing, 
     and the outlawing of child labor;
       Whereas, in 1952, Cesar Estrada Chavez joined the Community 
     Service Organization, a prominent Latino civil rights group, 
     and worked to coordinate voter registration drives and 
     conduct campaigns against discrimination in East Los Angeles, 
     and later served as the national director of the 
     organization;
       Whereas, in 1962, Cesar Estrada Chavez left the Community 
     Service Organization to found the National Farm Workers 
     Association, which eventually became the United Farm Workers 
     of America;
       Whereas Cesar Estrada Chavez was a strong believer in the 
     principles of nonviolence practiced by Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. 
     Martin Luther King, Jr.;
       Whereas Cesar Estrada Chavez effectively utilized peaceful 
     tactics, such as fasting in 1968 for 25 days, in 1972 for 25 
     days, and in 1988 for 38 days, to call attention to the 
     terrible working and living conditions of farm workers in the 
     United States;
       Whereas, under the leadership of Cesar Estrada Chavez, the 
     United Farm Workers of America organized thousands of migrant 
     farm workers to fight for fair wages, health care coverage, 
     pension benefits, livable housing, and respect;
       Whereas, through his commitment to nonviolence, Cesar 
     Estrada Chavez brought dignity and respect to the farm 
     workers who organized themselves, and became an inspiration 
     and a resource to other people in the United States and 
     people engaged in human rights struggles throughout the 
     world;
       Whereas the influence of Cesar Estrada Chavez extends far 
     beyond agriculture and provides inspiration for those working 
     to better human rights, to empower workers, and to advance an 
     American Dream that includes all its inhabitants of the 
     United States;
       Whereas Cesar Estrada Chavez died on April 23, 1993, in San 
     Luis, Arizona, only miles from his birthplace of 66 years 
     earlier;
       Whereas more than 50,000 people attended the funeral 
     services of Cesar Estrada Chavez in Delano, California, and 
     he was laid to rest at the headquarters of the United Farm 
     Workers of America, known as Nuestra Senora de La Paz, 
     located in the Tehachapi Mountains at Keene, California;
       Whereas, since his death, schools, parks, streets, 
     libraries, and other public facilities, and awards and 
     scholarships have been named in honor of Cesar Estrada 
     Chavez;
       Whereas, since his death, 8 States and dozens of 
     communities across the Nation honor the life and legacy of 
     Cesar Estrada Chavez on March 31 of each year, the day of his 
     birth;
       Whereas Cesar Estrada Chavez was a recipient of the Martin 
     Luther King, Jr. Peace Prize during his lifetime, and after 
     his death was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on 
     August 8, 1994; and
       Whereas the United States should not cease its efforts to 
     ensure equality, justice, and dignity for all people in the 
     United States: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the accomplishments and example of a great 
     American hero, Cesar Estrada Chavez;
       (2) pledges to promote the legacy of Cesar Estrada Chavez; 
     and
       (3) encourages the people of the United States to 
     commemorate the legacy of Cesar Estrada Chavez, and to always 
     remember his great rallying cry, ``Si, se puede!''.

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, this week, our Nation comes together to 
honor one of our Nation's foremost civil rights and labor leader, Cesar 
Estrada Chavez. I rise today, along with my colleague Senator Ken 
Salazar, to submit a resolution honoring the accomplishments and legacy 
of Cesar Chavez.
  Cesar Estrada Chavez was born 80 years ago, on March 31, 1927, in 
Arizona to poor migrant farm workers. He and his family struggled to 
survive at a time when ``Whites only'' signs were still on display and 
when it was necessary to trade in his school books to support his 
family working full-time in the fields.
  ``But rather than just survive those times, Cesar Chavez turned his 
experiences into ammunition to help fight for a better life for all 
Americans, becoming one of our Nation's most inspirational leaders.
  Following the principles of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King 
Jr., in 1962 Cesar Chavez co-founded the first successful farm workers 
union in the United States--the United Farm Workers (UFW). Through the 
UFW, Chavez brought many farm workers together, including Mexican- and 
Filipino-Americans, to fight for common goals. He also inspired hope in 
these workers through his great rallying catchphrase, ``Si Se Puede.''
  In one of their major victories, after 5 years of boycotting table 
grapes, the United Farm Workers gained the first-ever collective 
bargaining agreement between farm workers and growers in the history of 
our country.
  As the son of poor, working-class parents who were not afforded the 
benefits of a union, I am moved by Cesar Chavez's selfless work on 
behalf of others. Remembering his legacy reinforces my belief that all 
hard-working individuals deserve the right to bargain collectively to 
achieve better wages, better health benefits and suitable working 
conditions.
  I am happy that New Jersey has a proud labor tradition, which would 
not have been possible without people committed to fairness, social 
justice and equality. The legacy of Cesar Chavez still resonates today, 
from the rural agricultural fields to the urban centers all across this 
Nation, and his achievements are an inspiration to all hard-working 
Americans who want to achieve a better quality of life.
  Senator Robert F. Kennedy rightly said that Cesar Chavez was ``one of 
the heroic figures of our time,'' and I believe our resolution 
reinforces that statement. Therefore, I urge my colleagues to support 
this resolution, and by doing so, acknowledge that Cesar Chavez is 
truly an American hero.

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