[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 60 (Wednesday, March 28, 2012)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 18895-18896]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-7639]


 
 
                         Presidential Documents 
 
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 60 / Wednesday, March 28, 2012 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 18895]]


                Proclamation 8786 of March 23, 2012

                
Cesar Chavez Day, 2012

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                One of our Nation's great civil rights leaders, Cesar 
                Estrada Chavez came of age as a migrant farm worker, 
                witnessing the injustice that pervaded fields and 
                vineyards across California. Facing discrimination, 
                poverty, and dangerous working conditions, laborers 
                toiled for little pay and without access to even the 
                most basic necessities. Yet amidst hardship and abuse, 
                Cesar Chavez saw the promise of change--the unlimited 
                potential of a community organized around a common 
                purpose. Today, we celebrate his courage, reflect on 
                his lifetime of advocacy, and recognize the power in 
                each of us to lift up lives and pursue social justice.

                Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King, 
                Jr., and other visionary leaders, Cesar Chavez based 
                his campaign on principles of nonviolence, which he 
                called ``the quality of the heart.'' Through boycotts, 
                fasts, strikes, and marches that demanded both 
                endurance and imagination, he drew thousands together 
                in support of ``La Causa''--a mission to ensure 
                respect, dignity, and fair treatment for farm workers. 
                Alongside Dolores Huerta, he founded the United Farm 
                Workers of America (UFW), an organization tasked with 
                defending and empowering the men and women who feed the 
                world.

                As a tribute to Cesar Chavez's life and work, my 
                Administration designated the Forty Acres site in 
                Delano, California, as a National Historical Landmark 
                last year, forever commemorating the birthplace of the 
                UFW. In May 2011, the United States Navy named the USNS 
                Cesar Chavez in recognition of his service during World 
                War II. And this month, we honor ten Americans as 
                Champions of Change for their commitment to realizing 
                Cesar Chavez's dream of a more just tomorrow. Decades 
                after his struggle began, Cesar Chavez's legacy lives 
                on in all who draw inspiration from the values of 
                service, determination, and community that ignited his 
                movement.

                On the 85th anniversary of Cesar Chavez's birth, we are 
                reminded of what we can accomplish when we recognize 
                our common humanity. He told us, ``We cannot seek 
                achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and 
                prosperity for our community. Our ambitions must be 
                broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of 
                others, for their sakes and for our own.'' As we honor 
                his broad ambitions and expansive vision, let us pledge 
                to stand forever on the side of equal opportunity and 
                justice for all.

[[Page 18896]]

                 NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim March 31, 2012, as 
                Cesar Chavez Day. I call upon all Americans to observe 
                this day with appropriate service, community, and 
                education programs to honor Cesar Chavez's enduring 
                legacy.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-third day of March, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2012-7639
Filed 3-27-12; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F2-P