Students, faculty and community members took part to celebrate the life and work of Cesar E. Chavez during the month of March, by hosting films, guest speakers, campus celebrations and participating in the annual Cesar E. Chavez parade.

“Cesar E. Chavez would have been 80 years old,” said Mesa President Rita Cepeda. “This is an important celebration, because Cesar Chavez is not just a symbol important to Latinos, he became an international symbol of non violence. The core values Cesar Chavez established for the (United Farm Workers) are universal.”

Chavez, who was born March 31, 1927, and died April 23,1993, became the leader of the United Farm Workers Association and is known as one of the greatest civil rights leaders. Chavez fought for basic liberties and rights for farm workers such as fair wages, safety conditions and many others. Chavez’s approach to nonviolence gained national attention and initiated grape strikes to bring awareness to the injustice.

The three-day event began with the showing of three films: “Fighting for Life,” “Wrath of Grapes” and “Bread and Roses.” These films focused on the injustice upon farm workers and the dangers of producing grapes. The Oscar-nominated movie “Fighting for Life” depicted the movement of the UFW in 1973.

During the campus celebrations, students walked to the Associated Students stage in silence, remembering Chavez’s struggle to gain basic civil liberties and rights. Students then viewed a recorded speech by Chavez outside the A.S stage.

“This speech was given at Ohio State University on nonviolence on April 9, 1974; I want the students to listen to his voice to give a face to the movement,” said Dr. Cesar Lopez, Professor of Chicano studies.

Guest Speaker Cesar A. Gonzales T, Professor Emeritus of Chicano Studies, spoke to an audience of students and staff on the “power of finding a voice,” asserting the power of words and literature in writing Chicano history.

“There is a magic to words”, said Gonzales. “Words empower, there is also importance to myth and archetype, without it you’re not a person or individual, we cannot write about ourselves as a community if we cannot sense a community.”

Gonzales also focused on the power of words and communication used in Actos (Acts), created in 1965 by Luis Valdez, who worked with Chavez where politically intended to educate and entertain. With the use of words these improvisations reached out to communities in an effort to educate on making social change in a civil manner.

Students took part in the act known as “Los Vandidos” or sell-outs. This included an improvisation where the author uses stereotypical models of six Mexicans and one Mexican American to show the selling out of culture and heritage.

“Don’t be a vendido, you must say ‘I am free, and I too am part of the great American story’,” said Gonzales.

Chavez received a statewide paid holiday in August 2001 under Gov. Gray Davis. Six other states hold March 31, Chavez’s birthday, as a holiday. In 2005, Congressman Joe Baca reintroduced the bill H.R. 127, urging congress and the president to make March 21 a national holiday.

The three-day celebration ended with the annual Cesar E. Chavez parade, where K-12, college and community members participated in the parade followed by a gathering in a local park.

“Hopefully we will move to a time when all students all faculty and staff view Cesar Chavez as more of a humanist, an icon who represents broader values and keeping the notion of social justice very much alive,” said Cepeda.