[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 4364]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            CESAR E. CHAVEZ

  (Mr. BACA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in recognition of a great civil 
activist, Cesar E. Chavez. This week, we celebrate the life of a man 
who symbolizes dignity and respect and who would have turned 85 years 
old on March 31.
  He was a farm laborer, a leader, a cofounder of the United Farm 
Workers, and a veteran. He brought social justice to migrant workers 
and communities, which included better pay, improving housing, 
outlawing the child labor law, and human dignity. He achieved all of 
this through the use of nonviolence.
  For over 10 years, I have worked to create a national holiday to 
commemorate Cesar Chavez. Please join me in celebrating the life of a 
great American hero by supporting my legislation, House Resolution 130, 
which designates the fourth Friday of every March as Cesar E. Chavez 
Day.
  Martin Luther King, Jr., once telegraphed Cesar Chavez with a 
message: ``Our separate struggles are really one--a struggle for 
freedom, for dignity, and for humanity.''
  The legacy of Cesar Chavez will continue to inspire not only Latinos 
but people across our Nation who believe in the American Dream. ``Si, 
se puede''--yes, we can.

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