César Chávez: A Life Devoted to Workers’ Rights Is Honored
by Clyde Weiss | October 03, 2012
AFSCME congratulates Pres. Barack Obama for his decision to designate as a national monument the home and workplace of the late civil rights and labor leader, César Estrada Chávez.
Chávez, who died in 1993 and is buried on the site in Keene, Calif., is one of the 20th century’s great champions of working people. Founder of the National Farm Workers Association – later known as the United Farm Workers (UFW), Chávez organized migrant agricultural workers in the 1950s to improve their living standards and workplace conditions.
His successful fight for worker justice – including fasting and other nonviolent tactics – brought the plight of farm workers to the forefront of the nation’s conscience. He became a voice of the farm worker as well as a champion of all workers who strive for dignity, respect and a decent wage. Read some of his speeches and writings here. Chávez inspired the formation of our own United Domestic Workers and was a strong supporter from its inception.
As a national monument, Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz (Our Lady Queen of Peace), or La Paz, will serve as a tool to educate the world about the struggle for decent wages and respect for human dignity on the job that he embodied. Its designation – under the Antiquities Act – is long overdue.
The farm workers movement grew powerful during Chávez’ lifetime, and his fight for justice continues today. AFSCME’s 1.6 million members walk proudly on the path that Chávez paved for all workers. We will continue to honor his legacy by defending the rights of all workers through the power of collective bargaining.
