[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4864]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     81ST BIRTHDAY OF CESAR CHAVEZ

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CIRO D. RODRIGUEZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 2, 2008

  Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Madam Speaker, I am proud to rise today to recognize 
and to celebrate what would have been the 81st birthday of Cesar Chavez 
by urging Congress and the President to make this day a national 
holiday.
  Cesar Chavez grew up in migrant labor camps, into the poverty of a 
migrant worker's life. He became an historical figure who embodied 
humility and extraordinary strength in his peaceful struggle toward 
social justice. By dedicating his life to tirelessly championing the 
rights of farm laborers, along with Dolores Huerta, he helped found the 
United Farm Workers Union, fighting for better wages, conditions, and 
respect for farmworkers.
  As our country faces the continuing bad news on the economy and more 
Americans are searching for jobs, we are reminded on the birthday of 
Cesar Chavez that the types of working families to whom Chavez 
dedicated his life will suffer the most if gas prices continue to rise, 
people continue to lose their homes, and job losses continue to grow.
  Cesar Chavez has been an icon in my home State of Texas, where he is 
honored statewide on his birthday. In San Antonio, there is an annual 
Cesar Chavez march, which took place this past Saturday and had about 
4,000 people in attendance. In San Antonio, we also have Cesar Chavez 
Boulevard, and in the county of Hidalgo there is a town named after 
Cesar Chavez, where 1,469 people live.
  I hope that his legacy and memory will someday become a fundamental 
piece of American history so that all Americans will understand the 
fight that Cesar Chavez began in the fields--a fight for social 
justice, civil rights, and human rights that continues today.
  Therefore, Madam Speaker, I rise today to encourage my colleagues in 
urging the President and Congress to establish a national holiday by 
passing H. Res. 76.

                          ____________________