Chavez often had Catholic religious symbols incorporated within his marches.

Wonderful news!

Google is honoring our Mexican-American hero — Cesar Chavez today.

Many people don’t know this about Chavez, but he was deeply religious and relied on God for deliverance. Indeed Chavez fasted and prayed.

From PEOPLE:

He had lost 33 pounds from his 165-lb. frame and suffered from fever, vomiting and cramps. He sank slowly into the rocker and there, head in hands, now and then wiping a tear, sat through an hour-long Roman Catholic Mass. Near its end, a piece of bread, handed to him by Ethel Kennedy, became his first real food in five weeks.

After the service, Jackson accepted a small wooden cross from Chavez.

From the Daily Caller:

On Easter Sunday, Google is honoring the birthday of the late labor organizer Cesar Chavez by placing a Chavez portrait within the middle “o” of the Google logo that appears on the homepage of the popular search engine.

While Google frequently decorates its logo to celebrate various holidays and special events, it is unclear why the company chose specifically to honor Chavez’s birthday, instead of Easter Sunday.

Chavez co-founded the organization now known as the United Farm Workers union (UFW). He became an iconic figure in the labor movement, with his stature only increasing since his death in 1993.

President Barack Obama released a statement in 2011proclaiming March 31 “Cesar Chavez Day,” declaring, “I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate service, community, and educational programs to honor Cesar Chavez’s enduring legacy.”

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2013/03/31/google-honors-cesar-chavez-on-easter/#ixzz2P8CMwZpc

Kansas Tequila Get Out The Vote Rally – 2011.  Ponka-We Victors helped us register new Latino Voters.

hosted a Kansas Latin Get Out the Vote with the help of immigration reform community leaders who want to protect children and students via the DREAM Act.  Rep. Ponka-We helped the Tequila Party register brand new Latino voters.

Rep Ponka-We Victors is a Native American serving in the Kansas state legislature.  She is a sister to Mexican-Americans for life due to  her continued support for legal immigration reform.  This dynamic woman puts her money where her mouth is and knows immigrants help the farming and agricultural industry.  She believes all [wo]men are created equal.  (I would like to see this woman run for Governor some day).

For those of you who may not know who Kris Kobach is — he is the author of Arizona’s Draconian SB1070 law.  He has helped suppress voting rights for the elderly, the disabled and minorities. We were glad to see Ponka-We Victors courage and compassion for children and students rise to the occasion today when she put Kobach in his place.

More importantly, Kris Kobach has hurt the business and agricultural community in Kansas with his restrictionist and protectionist views with regard to our economy.  Kobach is putting the agricultural and business community in a pickle that reminds us of the Dixiecrats of yore.

A coalition of business groups will propose Kansas start a new program to help some illegal immigrants remain in the state so they can hold down jobs in agriculture and other industries with labor shortages, coalition representatives disclosed Tuesday.

Kris Kobach’s views are affecting large Kansas dairies and feedlots, too.

Here is what Ponka-We Victors communicated to Kobach.

From CJ Online:

The Legislature’s annual attempt to repeal a statute allowing in-state tuition for Kansas students without legal residency drew an emotional crowd to a House committee Wednesday.

Students who have lived in the United States most of their lives got choked up as they described the academic lifeline in-state tuition has provided to improve their lives. A counselor who works with such students in Wichita high schools shed tears as she showed legislators a scrapbook of success stories. Murmurs of unrest were heard in the gallery as one House member asked about the prevalence of illegal immigrants from gangs and drug cartels in American prisons.

But nothing drew a bigger reaction than when Rep. Ponka We-Victors, D-Wichita, wrapped up a series of questions to the bill’s chief proponent, Secretary of State Kris Kobach.

“I think it’s funny Mr. Kobach, because when you mention illegal immigrant, I think of all of you,” said Victors, the Legislature’s lone American Indian member.

The heavily pro-immigrant gallery burst into cheers and applause — a rare reaction in normally staid hearings.

Way to go, Rep. Ponka-We Victors!  For reminding people the basics of American history.

Rep. Ponka We-Victors, D-Wichita, wrapped up a series of questions to the bill’s chief proponent, Secretary of State Kris Kobach.
“I think it’s funny Mr. Kobach, because when you mention illegal immigrant, I think of all of you,” said Victors, the Legislature’s lone American Indian member.

From MALDEF:

MALDEF, TUCSON STUDENTS TRIUMPH AFTER NEARLY 40 YEARS IN HISTORIC DESEGREGATION CASE

Court Orders Tucson School District To Reinstate Culturally Relevant Curriculum That Reflects The History, Culture and Experiences of Mexican Americans
TUCSON, AZ – Yesterday Judge David C. Bury ruled in favor of Latino plaintiffs in the longstanding desegregation lawsuit against the Tucson Unified School District (“TUSD”), filed by MALDEF in 1974 in federal district court in Tucson, Arizona. In his order, Judge Bury adopted the Unitary Status Plan (“USP”), designed to eliminate segregation and improve educational outcomes for Latino students in TUSD, that was jointly filed last year by TUSD, the Fisher Plaintiffs on behalf of African American students, the United States Department of Justice, MALDEF on behalf of the Mendoza plaintiffs who are Latino students, and the Court-appointed Special Master, Dr. Willis D. Hawley.

Thomas A. Saenz, MALDEF President and General Counsel stated, “Once fully implemented, today’s order promises to dramatically improve educational opportunities for Latino students in Tucson. The plan addresses critical issues, such as the education of English learners, discriminatory disparities in access to critical programs, and the restoration of culturally relevant courses to the curriculum. When these issues are addressed, the educational experience of all students will be richer and more equitable.”

In his ruling, Judge Bury found that TUSD has not eliminated the vestiges of past discrimination identified in a 1978 court-approved settlement of the case and that it had not acted in good faith because over the years “the District had not addressed ongoing segregation and discrimination in TUSD, both physical segregation and unequal academic opportunities for Black and Hispanic minority students.” Significantly, Judge Bury upheld the section of the USP that calls for culturally relevant curriculum designed to reflect the history, experiences and culture of the Mexican American community as a strategy to improve student achievement and one that was agreed to by the parties as a “meritorious strategy, fully supported by the experts and the Special Master, to improve the academic performance of minority students.”

Nancy Ramirez, Western Regional Counsel and lead attorney stated, “Today’s ruling is the culmination of years of vigilance by the Latino and local communities in Tucson demanding accountability and transparency by the Tucson Unified School District that would ultimately lead to equal opportunities for Latino students. We look forward to continuing to work on the implementation of this comprehensive and ambitious plan that offers much promise for improving educational outcomes for all students in TUSD”.

The Court’s order also denies the State of Arizona’s attempt to intervene in the case to litigate the issue of Mexican American Studies. The Court concluded that its ruling does not override a 2010 Arizona law targeting ethnic studies for elimination “and even if it did – the Supreme Court has held that state laws cannot be allowed to impede a desegregation order.” The Court believes that Arizona’s role in the case may be concluding and has requested that Arizona Attorney General Thomas Horne demonstrate why the state’s participation in the case should not be ended now.

Other important outcomes of Judge Bury’s order include the following: The Court agreed with MALDEF that the USP must include a district-wide professional development plan for all educators working with English Language Learners. Overruling the District’s objection the Court stated, “Given the large amount of ELL students in TUSD and their substandard academic achievement, there is a clear need for teachers to learn how to better teach ELL students.” The Court also agreed with MALDEF that annual goals should be set for GATE programs and Advanced Academic Courses to “steadily increase the number and percentage of African American and Latino students, including ELL and exceptional (special education students).” And it agreed with MALDEF’s concern that minority students are overrepresented in special education classes and requested the Special Master to include language to address this concern.

The Special Master will oversee the District’s revisions to the USP incorporating Judge Bury’s order, which will be filed with the Court on February 19, 2013.

Lois Thompson of Proskauer Rose LLP, serving as pro bono counsel stated, “The Court-adopted plan, if implemented effectively and in good faith, should finally improve the educational environment and outcomes for the District’s Latino students and lead to a day when the District can be released from Court supervision.”

A copy of the order is available at
http://www.maldef.org/assets/pdf/MENDOZA_020613_Order.pdf