U.S. Senator Ken Salazar

Member: Finance, Agriculture, Energy, Ethics and Aging Committees

 

2300 15th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510

 

 

For Immediate Release

Monday , March 31, 2008

CONTACT:Stephanie Valencia – 202-494-8790
Cody Wertz – 303-350-0032

Senator Salazar Honors Civil Rights Leader César Estrada Chávez

 

WASHINGTON, DC – United States Senator Ken Salazar released the following statement in recognition of Cesár Chávez’ life and legacy, as today would have been the great civil rights leader’s eighty-first birthday.

Cesar Chávez committed his life to organizing farm workers to campaign for safe and fair working conditions, reasonable wages, decent housing and the outlawing of child labor. Since César Chávez’s death, schools, parks, streets, libraries, awards, scholarships and more have been named in his honor. Additionally, eight U.S. states, including Colorado, Arizona, California, Michigan, New Mexico, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin and many communities across the country recognize César Chávez Day, a holiday to honor his legacy.

“Today we remember the accomplishments and legacy of one of the greatest civil rights leaders of our time,” said Senator Salazar. “César Chávez dedicated his life to equal justice and worked tirelessly to improve the lives and working conditions of laborers across the nation. It is critical that our children, the future leaders of this country, know his contributions to our history and celebrate his work.”

In March 2007, Senator Salazar introduced a resolution to honor the accomplishments and legacy of César Chávez. Senator Salazar has also introduced the César Estrada Chávez Study Act (S.327) which would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of sites associated with the life of César Chávez. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed that bill on January 30, 2008, and Senator Salazar continues to work for passage by the full Senate.

Background: Cesar Chavez was born on March 31, 1927 on a small farm in Yuma, Arizona. At age 10, Chavez and his family became migrant farm workers, laboring in fields across the Southwest, enduring the hardships and injustices of farm worker life. In 1952, Chavez left the fields and became a community activist working for civil rights and social justice. In 1962, he founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers of America, working for the rights and protections of farm workers. Chavez died on April 22, 1993.

 

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