Northern Nevada
César Chávez Celebration VI
Monday, March 31, 2008
Circus Circus-Reno

The Washoe County School District César Chávez Essay Contest is now underway.
If your child is a WCSD student, please
contact Fátima Rivas about submitting an entry.
(775) 325-2076
P.O. Box 30425
Reno, NV 89520
e-mail: frivas@washoe.k12.nv.us
Grand prize in each age category: an Apple iPod

Formulario y reglas para el concurso de César Chávez

Brought to you by

Culinary Workers Union Local 226

Above: End slate from the award-winning LIUNA Local 169 road construction zone safety campaign, now in its second decade.

La Gloria Market

Watch this website for information updates.

Call (775) 786-1455 for sponsorship information
or e-mail barbano@frontpage.reno.nv.us

Barbwire: Giants will walk among us again
Daily Sparks Tribune 3-16-2008

The campaign for a César Chávez national holiday
Sign the petition

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Reno César Chávez Celebration VI
March 31, 2008
DÍA DE CÉSAR CHÁVEZ Lunes 31 de Marzo del 2008

     Again sponsored by Culinary Union Local 226 , Laborers' Union Local 169 and Circus Circus Reno, this year's event will take place at Circus Circus beginning at 6:00 p.m.
     The public is welcome at the event which will again feature food, scholarship winners and entertainment. Watch this website for ticket information.
     Doors open at 5:30 p.m. on March 31, with the program beginning at 6:00 p.m. Nevadans who knew or worked with Chávez will speak on their experiences. Members of his immediate family are again expected to attend.
      In conjunction with the Washoe County School District, students in three grade levels are again participating in an essay contest. The competition is open to all students from Kindergarten through 12th grade. Winners will read their variations on this year's theme, "Should Congress declare a national holiday to honor César Chávez?"
      In late March, KNVV TV-41 (Charter cable 22) will air special vignettes honoring César Chávez. KNVV will also air a half-hour César Chávez documentary as part of the celebration.
      César Chávez was born on March 31, 1927, on a small farm near Yuma, Arizona. At 10 years of age, Chávez began life as a migrant farm worker. This ultimately led to his cause or "La Causa," advocating for better wages and working conditions for the nation's farm workers. In 1952, he began the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) to strive for equal rights for agricultural workers.
       César Chávez learned from and practiced the non-violent principles of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Mohandas K. Gandhi. Chávez died on April 23, 1993, at the age of 66. He was posthumously awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994. The United States Postal Service issued a commemorative first class stamp bearing his image in 2003.
      

COUNTDOWN TO CHÁVEZ DAY

On March 10, 1968, Robert Kennedy and César Chávez met in Delano, California, for the breaking of Chavez's anti-violence fast. Chávez's physicians had contacted Kennedy to ask for his help in convincing Chávez to end his fast before it did more damage to his health.

On March 17, 1966, farm workers led by César Chávez began a march from Delano to Sacramento.

On March 31, 1927, César Chávez was born near Yuma, Ariz.

New York Times obituary, April 24, 1993: "Mr. Chávez, who was described by Robert F. Kennedy in 1968 as 'one of the heroic figures of our time,'was widely acknowledged to have done more to improve the lot of the migrant farm worker than anyone else. Fighting growers and shippers who for generations had defeated efforts to unionize field workers, and later fighting rival unionists, Mr. Chávez for the first time brought a degree of stability and security to the lives of some migrant workers. Largely because of him, the California Legislature in 1975 passed the nation's first collective bargaining act outside Hawaii for farm workers, who are largely excluded from Federal labor law coverage. 'For the first time,' Mr. Chávez said when asked to describe the union's achievement, 'the farm worker got some power.' Asked what had motivated his stubborn fight, he said, 'For many years I was a farm worker, a migratory worker, and, well, personally — and I'm being very frank — maybe it's just a matter of trying to even the score.'"

[Courtesy of longtime Nevada reporter Dennis Myers' Poor Denny's Almanac]

César Chávez Celebration IV March 31, 2005 VETERANS — Left to right, Maria Zamora, Librado "Lee" Chávez and Tony Mayorga. Lee Chávez holds up a United Farm Workers of America flag signed by his late brother. The flag is part of Ms. Zamora's collection of Chávez/UFWA memorabilia which she displayed at the 2004 Chávez Celebration and will do so again this year. Ms. Zamora marched with César Chávez in the 1960's and cooked for the multitudes as they trekked across California. Tony Mayorga is President of Laborers' Union Local 169, a founding sponsor of the celebration. When César Chávez came to Reno     How often do we get to meet the great men of our age? Of the great apostles of nonviolence who have lived in our time and generations, I got to meet only one, but that was a meaningful one. César Chávez's (1986) visit to Reno gave me the opportunity to meet him, to shake his hand, to stand in his presence. It was an honor, one of the privileged moments of my life.      On March 10, 1968, Robert Kennedy went to Delano to be with César when he broke his fast for nonviolence. Senator Kennedy said to César's supporters in the farm workers, "And when your children and grandchildren take their place in America, going to high school and college and taking good jobs at good pay — when you look at them, you will say, 'I did this. I was there, at the point of difficulty and danger'. And though you may be old and bent from many years of labor, no man will stand taller than you when you say, 'I marched with César'."      We have not been very good custodians of that hope. Good jobs at good pay seem further away than ever. We have to do better. César's example calls. — Courtesy of longtime Nevada reporter Dennis Myers' Poor Denny's Almanac Used by permission.

 

UFW FLAG ART presented by César Chávez to Reno Musicians Union Local 368 Secretary-Treasurer Beth Shay at Reno César Chávez Day I on July 15, 1986. Each color is symbolic — black for the dark situation of the farmworkers of the time; red for toil and sacrifice and the white circle for hope. Chávez himself designed it.

Reno, Nevada — El Norte de Nevada conmemorara el cuarto Día de César Chávez este Jueves, Marzo 31, el cual seria su cumpleaños numero 81 del desaparecido líder agrícola. KNVV41/LaTricolor conmemorarán a César Estrada Chávez con un concurso literario y un programa especial.

El primer Día de César Chávez fue declarado por el Consejo Municipal de la ciudad de Reno en honor a la visita de Chávez en Julio 15, 1986.

El publico en general esta invitado al evento que se realizará en el Circus Circus Reno. Las puertas del evento abrirán a las 5:30 p.m., Marzo 31. Iniciándose el programa a las 6:00 p.m. Los nevadenses que llegaron a conocer y trabajaron con Chávez nos expondrán sus experiencias. Miembros de la familia Chávez se espera atenderán el evento.

En conjunción con el distrito Escolar de Washoe County, escolares de los tres diferentes niveles estarán participando nuevamente en el concurso literario. El concurso esta abierto a todos los estudiantes desde Kindergarten hasta el 12th grado. Los ganadores leerán sus composiciones basados en el tema de este año: "Como es que la trayectoria e ideas de César Chávez han afectado mi vida?"

KNVV TV 41 y La Tricolor 102.1 estarán difundiendo durante el fin de Marzo y comienzos de Abril cortos especiales honrando a César Chávez. KNVV TV-44 estará estrenando un documental de media hora sobre Cesar Chávez el día central de la conmemoración. Este especial estará al aire a las 6:30 p.m. con repeticiones a las 11:30 p.m. el 31 de Marzo y a las 1:30 a.m. el 1 de Abril.

César Chávez nació el 31 de Marzo de 1927, en una granja cerca a Yuma, Arizona. A los 10 años de edad, Chávez empezó su vida como "brasero" junto a su familia. Este hecho en su vida provoco que Chávez se convirtiera en un abanderado por la justicia social, a la cual el llamo "La Causa", propugnando mejoras salariales y mejores condiciones de trabajo para los trabajadores en los campos de cultivo.

En 1952, el constituyó la Asociación Nacional de los Trabajadores del Campo- Nacional Farm Workers Association (NFWA) con el fin de defender la igualdad de derechos para los trabajadores agrícolas. César Chávez aprendió y practico los principios de No Violencia del Dr. Martín Luther King Jr. y Mahatma Gandhi. Chávez falleció el 23 de Abril de 1993, a la edad de 66 años. El fue honrado póstumamente con la Medalla Presidencial de la Libertad en 1994 por el presidente Bill Clinton. Además, el servicio postal imprimió una estampilla conmemorativa de primera clase con su imagen en el 2003.

Reno celebrará "Día de César Chávez"

¿Quién fue César Chávez?

"Una de las figuras heróicas de nuestros tiempos"

—Senador Robert F. Kennedy, D-NY

2005 CÉSAR CHÁVEZ DAY PROCLAMATIONS