Tomorrow,
March 31, is a state holiday in California, Colorado, and Texas. It is Cesar
Chavez Day. And four years ago today, President Obama proclaimed March 31 of
each year as Cesar Chavez Day nationwide, although it is not a holiday in the
other 47 states.
César Chávez, the Mexican-American migrant farm worker,
civil rights activist, and outstanding labor leader, was born on March 31, 1927.
He died in 1993.
In
his Presidential
Proclamation of March 30, 2011, President Obama said, Cesar Chavez’s legacy provides lessons from which all Americans can learn. One person can change the course of a nation and improve the lives of countless individuals. Cesar once said, “Non-violence is not inaction. . . . Non-violence is hard work. It is the willingness to sacrifice. It is the patience to win.”
The
President went on to say,
From his inspiring accomplishments, we have learned that social justice takes action, selflessness, and commitment. As we face the challenges of our day, let us do so with the hope and determination of Cesar Chavez, echoing the words that were his rallying cry and that continue to inspire so many today, “Sí, se puede” – “Yes, we can.”
The
achievements of Chavez were also recognized the year before and the year after
his death. In 1992, Chavez was awarded the Pacem in Terris Award, named
after a 1963 encyclical by Pope John XXIII calling upon all people of good will
to secure peace among all nations.
Then on September 8, 1994, Chavez was presented posthumously with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Clinton. The award was received by his widow, Helen, whom Chavez married when he was 21 and with whom he had eight children.
There was national recognition of Chavez and his work much before the 1990s, though. In 1969 he became the first Mexican-American to have his picture on the cover of Time magazine.
Then on September 8, 1994, Chavez was presented posthumously with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Clinton. The award was received by his widow, Helen, whom Chavez married when he was 21 and with whom he had eight children.
There was national recognition of Chavez and his work much before the 1990s, though. In 1969 he became the first Mexican-American to have his picture on the cover of Time magazine.
Last
year, the biopic film “Cesar Chavez” was released, and June and I watched it with
great interest soon after it came out on DVD. Although panned by some critics
for being too hagiographical, we thought it was a good presentation of
Chavez’s life and work.
Chávez was born in Arizona, but when he was still
a boy his family moved to California and became migrant farm workers. In 1942
when he was 15, César dropped
out of school and became a full-time migrant farm worker himself. Except for
two unhappy years in the Navy, he worked in the fields until 1952 when he
founded a Latino civil rights group.
In
the 1950s, Donald McDonnell, a Catholic priest who died in 2012 at the age of
88, introduced Cesar to social justice and the principles of nonviolence, which
became the basis for his activities as a labor leader.
In
1962, Chavez co-founded what became, and still is, the United Farm Workers.
(The other co-founder was Dolores Huerta, who will soon be 85 and an
outstanding woman who also deserves to be honored.)
At
the time of McDonnell’s death, Arturo Rodriguez, Chavez’s son-in-law and successor
as president of the United Farm Workers, said,
Cesar Chavez tried to live the gospels and the social teachings of his Catholic faith every day, but his career dedicated to service to others all began with the lessons he learned early in life from Father McDonnell.
Cesar
Chavez was not without his faults. Still, he did so much to help the
impoverished and exploited farm workers, first in California and then across
the nation, he is well deserving of the honor given him on Cesar Chavez Day.
ADDENDUM (3/23/26)
It is with sadness that on March 18, 2026, Chavez was publicly charged with grooming and sexually abusing girls and women in the United Farm Workers (UFW) movement. Although it will not be possible to officially change the name of the March 31 holiday or related observances this year, it will be widely called United Farm Workers Day. Chavez, of course, will not be honored at all, and statues of him have been covered with blankets.
As mentioned near the beginning of the above article, Dolores Huerta was the co-founder of the UFW. She will turn 96 on April 10. Ms. Huerta was also sexually abused and even raped by Chavez, but she never spoke of that publicly until last week. She said the work of the UFW was more important than her personal mistreatment by Chavez.
As mentioned near the beginning of the above article, Dolores Huerta was the co-founder of the UFW. She will turn 96 on April 10. Ms. Huerta was also sexually abused and even raped by Chavez, but she never spoke of that publicly until last week. She said the work of the UFW was more important than her personal mistreatment by Chavez.
