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“HONORING LABOR LEADER CESAR CHAVEZ WITH A NATIONAL HOLIDAY” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Labor was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E465 on March 28, 2001.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING LABOR LEADER CESAR CHAVEZ WITH A NATIONAL HOLIDAY
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HON. CIRO D. RODRIGUEZ
of texas
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, March 28, 2001
Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the lasting contributions of a true American hero, Cesar Chavez. On April 23, 1992, Cesar Estrada Chavez ended his 66-year crusade against injustice in much the same way he began it--quietly and peacefully. More than 40,000 people participated in his funeral, honoring a hero who brought dignity to the voiceless men, women, and children laboring in America's crop lands. Now, on the March 31st anniversary of his birth, Congress is slated to consider H. Con. Res. 3, the first step in establishing a permanent federal holiday to honor Cesar Chavez.
President Clinton posthumously awarded Cesar Chavez the Medal of Freedom in recognition of his outstanding contributions to American labor. Chavez was also inducted into the U.S. Labor Department's Hall of Fame, the first Hispanic to be given this honor. This weekend, I will proudly take to the streets of San Antonio, Texas, with thousands of South Texans to honor Cesar Chavez and La Causa during San Antonio's annual March for Justice.
Though awards and commemoration are important, Cesar Chavez did not seek out recognition for himself. Instead, he fought for what he called La Causa. For the millions of exploited and vulnerable farmworkers who, from dawn till dusk, plant, plow, and pick, La Causa was a tireless commitment to improving their plight, a recognition of the injustices they suffer.
His commitment transcended the hot, dusty fields. He was a husband, father, grandfather, labor organizer, community leader, and an icon for the ongoing struggle for equal rights and equal opportunity. Beyond agrarian America, he organized community voter registration drives, pushed for safer working conditions, and stood up to those who would deny his fellow laborers their basic human rights. The migrant schools he worked so hard to establish are a testament to his exhaustive efforts and a rare opportunity for many of America's laboring children to escape poverty.
Chavez rose from a fruit and vegetable picker to the head of the United Farm Workers of America (UFW). From the beginning, he worked to instill in the UFW the principals of non-violence practiced by Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. When the UFW began striking in the 1960s to protest the treatment of farm workers, the strikers took a pledge of non-violence. The 25 day fast Chavez conducted reaffirmed the UFW's commitment to this principle.
For those of us who lived through this tumultuous era, we heard of the great odds Chavez faced as he led successful boycotts of grapes, wine, and lettuce in an attempt to pressure California growers to sign contracts with the UFW. Through his boycott, Chavez was able to forge a national support coalition of unions, church groups, students, minorities, and consumers. By the end of the boycott everyone knew the chant that unified all groups, ``Si se puede.''--yes we can. It remains a chant of encouragement, pride and dignity.
America has seen few leaders like Chavez. But his battle is not over. Those of us who continue his fight do so in order to give voices to the voiceless laborers no matter where they work or who they are. To honor his memory, Congress should pass H. Con. Res. 3, another step in the ongoing struggle to make his birthday a national day of remembrance.
In his own words, ``I am convinced that the truest act of courage, the strongest act of humanity, is to sacrifice ourselves for others in a totally non-violent struggle for justice . . . to be human is to suffer for others . . . God help us be human.'' Let us take these words and move forward in our continuous struggle for justice.
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