[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 129, 114th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 9243 of March 30, 2015

Cesar Chavez Day, 2015

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

For more than two centuries, the arc of our Nation's progress has been
shaped by ordinary people who have dedicated their lives to the
extraordinary work of building a more perfect Union. It is a story of
achievement and constant striving that has found expression in places
where America's destiny has been decided--in Seneca Falls, Selma, and
Stonewall, and in the golden fields of California where an American hero
discovered his mighty voice. Today, we honor Cesar Chavez and his
lifetime of work to make our country more free, more fair, and more
just, and we reaffirm the timeless belief he embodied: those who love
their country can change it.
A son of migrant workers and a child of the Great Depression, Cesar
Chavez believed every job has dignity and every person should have the
chance to reach beyond his or her circumstances and realize a brighter
future. When no one seemed to care about the farm workers who labored
without basic protections and for meager pay to help feed the world,
Cesar Chavez awakened our Nation to their deplorable conditions and
abject poverty--injustices he knew firsthand. He organized, protested,
fasted, and alongside Dolores Huerta, founded the United Farm Workers.
Slowly, he grew a small movement to a 10,000-person march and eventually
a 17-million-strong boycott of table grapes, rallying a generation
around ``La Causa'' and forcing growers to agree to some of the first
farm worker contracts in history. Guided by a fierce commitment to
nonviolence in support of a righteous cause, he never lost faith in the
power of opportunity for all.

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As a Nation, we know the struggle to live up to the principles of our
founding does not end with any one victory or defeat. After Cesar Chavez
fought for higher wages, he pushed for fresh drinking water, workers'
compensation, pension plans, and protection from pesticides. He strove
every day for the America he knew was possible. Today, we must take up
his work and carry forward this great unfinished task.
When immigrants labor in the shadows, they often earn unfair wages and
their families and our economy suffer--that is one reason why we have to
fix our broken immigration system and why I keep calling on the Congress
to enact comprehensive immigration reform. We need to continue to defend
the collective bargaining rights countless individuals have fought so
hard for and ensure our economy rewards hard work with a fair living
wage, paid leave, and equal pay for equal work.
Cesar Chavez knew that when you lift up one person, it enriches a
community; it bolsters our economy, strengthens our Nation, and gives
meaning to the creed that out of many, we are one. As we celebrate his
life, we are reminded of our obligations to one another and the
extraordinary opportunity we are each given to work toward justice,
equal opportunity, and a better future for every one of our sisters and
brothers.
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, 2015, 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 thirtieth day of
March, in the year of our Lord two thousand fifteen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
ninth.
BARACK OBAMA