[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 8127]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING CESAR CHAVEZ

  (Mr. GRIJALVA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, today I rise to celebrate the life of 
Cesar Chavez, to commemorate his life, to ask for a national holiday. 
He would have been 80 years old this Saturday, and I guess the most 
personal thing I can say is how he affected my life and the lives of 
countless people. He gave voice to the powerless in this country. He 
gave voice to the issues of the environment, human rights, labor 
rights, education and turned a whole generation and a whole community 
to look forward to opportunity and to stand up and protect the very 
fundamental rights that each one of us as an American holds true.
  Cesar Chavez is not just an icon. Cesar Chavez is a living legacy of 
what this country's unfinished business is, the unfinished business of 
giving worth to each human being in this country.
  I would end with a quote by Cesar Chavez: ``We can choose to use our 
lives for others to bring about a better and more just world for our 
children.''
  That is the greatest opportunity we have.

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