Shouting for unity, peace and equality, hundreds of UNM community members gathered Saturday to celebrate the life of labor leader CÇsar Ch†vez and the workers' rights movement that has become his legacy.
The celebration, organized by a variety of UNM groups and the Recuerda CÇsar Ch†vez committee, began with a march at 501 San Pedro Rd. and ended with a rally at the CÇsar Ch†vez Community Center at Louisiana Boulevard and Kathryn Avenue.
Ch†vez, the founding leader of the United Farm Workers, achieved national acclaim after launching grape boycotts in 1965 and 1984 to protest the poor working conditions of farm workers and the negative health effects of pesticides that workers were commonly forced to use. Saturday marked what would have been his 75th birthday.
The focus of this year's event included a push to make the last Friday in March a state holiday, an effort that had been previously thwarted by Gov. Gary Johnson. The proposed holiday is a Constitutional Amendment on the Nov. 5 general election ballot.
"This measure passed in 2001 and is on the ballot for your approval," said State Rep. Miguel Garcia, a South Valley Democrat. "We need you to go to the polls and take your friends and family with you so that we can support making CÇsar Ch†vez Day a state holiday."
Garcia was one of many state politicians who participated in the celebration. The elected officials, along with groups such as UNM's College Democrats, El Centro de la Raza and the Chicano Studies Program, are all backing a voter registration drive designed to inform the community about the Ch†vez holiday amendment.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
But it was students from throughout the Albuquerque community who were showcased for helping lead the push for the state holiday at Saturday's event.
"This was a good chance for me to prove that my school is more than just the negative things people always say about it," said Ari Mu§oz, a junior at Rio Grande High School who performed the Chicano activist epic poem "≠Yo Soy Joaquin!" with classmates at the celebration.
"It's just important for us to unite as a community behind a leader who was very inspiring to a lot of people," Mu§oz said.
Manuel Gonzalez, a member the Angry Brown Poets, performed poetry articulating the trio's frustration that they discovered Ch†vez and other Chicano leaders on their own, rather than in high school classrooms.
"It's very important that we show students that there were Chicano activists who worked hard to make a difference in this world," he said. "They should grow up knowing that they do have heroes who match the color of their skin and role models who aren't just gang members."
Carlos Martin, a UNM student who also is in Angry Brown Poets, added that Saturday's celebration marked an opportunity to reaffirm the commitment to the struggle for civil rights that Ch†vez helped lead in the 1960s.
"We need to do our part to make sure that workers who are in the fields today are safe," he said. "You can't always get the best job, but, at the least, you should be treated fairly."
James Aranda, a UNM alumnus and fellow Angry Brown Poet, emphasized that while Ch†vez was a hero to admire, he was just one of many people involved in a strong Chicano movement that has helped shape the Southwest.
Cristina Ch†vez, a UNM freshman who works for the University's Chicano Studies program, said that she knew little about the labor leader before coming to UNM.
"I knew of CÇsar Ch†vez, but helping work to plan this event during the past three months gave me a better understanding of who he was and a whole new appreciation of my culture," she said. "I put together a booklet about this day that went to local schools that I hope will help young people learn more about CÇsar Ch†vez."
Ysaura Bernal Enriquez, who was on the committee that helped organized the event, said she felt it was important to participate in CÇsar Ch†vez Day because he was a champion of the poor and working class.
"We eat three times a day because of the work that others do, and it is important to make sure that we do not overlook the people who support us," she said of farm workers. "I am just so happy about this day because of the wonderful turnout and that fact that we have people of all ages and of all backgrounds."
Aranda echoed Enriquez's sentiments about the celebration.
"This should show everyone that a lot of people are still very proud of the labor movement and, while it may not be as strong as it once was, it is not dead," he said.
