[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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