Cesar Chavez "Si se puede"

March 31st marked the birth of civil rights activist and founder of the United Farm Workers of America, Cesar Chavez. The Latino Student Association, presided over by Christina Zambrano, held a dinner in commemoration of Chavez and his works. “I was surprised when I noticed that not only students but a lot of people really don’t even know who he was.” Said Zambrano. 4th year advertising major and LSA member Abigail Morena’s parents worked in fields to provide for her and her sister, so Cesar Chavez’s work in California meant more to her than most. They and the rest of LSA wanted to stage the dinner to help students learn more about this incredible man.
After being served by Los Cucos that catered the event, Joe Michael Gonzoales, a fellow Bobcat who is currently working on his Post Doctorate degree shared a film that he had created using stock footage of Chavez and La Caosa (the cause), Life and Legacy of Cesar Chavez. This was the first showing of this film. It showed him and the members of his organization staging protests, fasting, and boycotting against companies that abused their farm workers. “The new generation must be made aware of this man.” Said Gonzales. The film ended with a showing of Chavez’s funeral to which over 50,000 people attended. “And it’s important that we say he was not a Mexican martyr but an American Hero. The food on the table, before it was served was handled by a farm worker” also said Gonzales. The film concluded with Chavez saying “We are not a service we’re servants. You don’t ask, we give.”

Cesar Chavez fought for the “forgotten people” and learned first hand, as so many migrants do, the harsh conditions of farm work during the depression. Chavez dreamt of building an organization to protect farm workers and their family’s rights to fair pay and decent working conditions. In 1962 he founded the National Farm Workers Association, now known as UFWA. The protests and strikes he lead were modeled after that of Martin L. King and Gandhi. In 1975 his dream became reality as California passed the Agricultural Labor Relations Act, protecting the farm worker’s rights to unionize. It remains the only law in the states that does this. Chavez died in his sleep in 1993 at the age of 66.
The philosophy of non-violence has worked countless times in the past for securing rights of individuals. The use of violence to bring about change is usually met with more resistance and almost always fails in the end. The idea is use tactics that simply remind the oppressors of the humanity of the oppressed. Once this is done, the oppressors can not continue to wrong them because now they would be wronging “people” not laborers, slaves or infidels.
Jaime Martinez the 1st Mexican American to be elected to a national Union executive board and close friend of Chavez during La Caosa, also spoke at the event. Martinez met Chavez doing union work and traveled with him helping with his security since there was a contract on the man’s life. Martinez told a story how Chavez was once ambushed by hired gunmen and thrown into a truck with his union workers to prevent them from trying to organize a labor camp. “Every year more barriers are place by legeislation. But we are still here, organizing. God sent him to us.” Said Martinez.
In addition to the dinner, Lambda Theta Phi was joined by LSA and Chi Upsilon Sigma in serving their annual Chavez day breakfast. The groups provide a free breakfast to all custodial and construction workers employed by TXST. Paul Vega President elect of LSA felt that in the spirit of Cesar Chavez “It’s really important that we give back to them. Because with out them there would be no TXST.”