Cesar Chavez, Role Model for Latino Civil Rights Leaders

The great Latino civil rights leader Cesar Chavez would be appalled at President Bush's "guest worker program" ideas. In fact, the Bush program aims to dismantle the accomplishments of Cesar Chavez and his United Farm Workers.

Chavez would have celebrated his 78th birthday this week. I will be attending the 5th annual Educating the Heart dinner given by the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation on his March 31 birthday. Chavez will be honored by Los Angeles mayoral candidates Hahn and Villaraigosa, and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton will receive an award. (I promise to report back to you about the dinner!)

Chavez was born in 1927 in Arizona the grandson of Mexican immigrants, and passed away in 1993 near his birthplace in Yuma. His family lost their home and farm when Cesar was 10 years old, so they moved to California's San Joaquin to join 300,000 other migrant farm workers.

Migrant farm workers, who were mainly of Mexican descent, lived in dirty one-room shacks or tents, with no running water, bathrooms or electricity. From his early 20s until his death, Chavez worked relentlessly to obtain better wages, health care and safe working conditions for the vulnerable, weak workers who were exploited by the farmer owners.

Cesar Chavez was feted by Martin Luther King, Jr, Robert F. Kennedy and more. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton. His funeral mass was attended by 50,000 mourners, and presided over by Catholic Cardinal Roger Mahoney.

Yet, this simple, soft-spoken man never owned a home for his family of 8 children. Never earned more than $6,000 in a year. He died working for La Causa.

Read more about Cesar Chavez, who is a role model for today's Latino civil rights activists. The Bush Administration does not want a leader of Chavez' charisma and vision to once again remind migrant farm workers of their rights and their right to dignity.