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Cesar Chavez march and memorial activities this week

by on Mar. 27, 2010, under 2010 elections, Arizona, Democratic Party, Immigration, organizing, Politics, Tucson

>Wednesday, March 31 is the 83rd anniversary of union organizer Cesar Chavez’s birthday. Beginning on Friday and continuing through next week, there will be commemorative events in Tucson to honor Chavez’s legacy.

The week of celebration began last night with a reception for Dolores Huerta (above) at Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery and Workshop.

In 1962, Huerta and Chavez were co-founders of the National Farm Workers Association. Together, they organized farm workers and fought for better wages and working conditions across California and the southwest.

At 79, Huerta is still a fiery activist. Last night, she encouraged workers, artists, students, activists, and other progressive-thinking individuals to work together for civil rights, social justice, reform, and political power. After her short speech she urged attendees of all ages to get involved in the political process, support progressive candidates, and vote. At Huerta’s invitation, Vince Rabago, candidate for Arizona attorney general, and John Bernal, LD27 candidate for the Arizona House of Representatives, joined her on stage for brief campaign speeches.

Today, Huerta will appear at the rally following the 10th Annual Cesar Chavez March, which goes from Pueblo High School to the Rudy Garcia Park on the south side of Tucson. The march, which begins at 9 a.m., goes east on 44th St. and south on 6th Ave. Click here for the parade route and more information about music and festivities at the park.

If you want to learn more about Chavez, Huerta, and the farm workers’ movement, tune in to KXCI on March 31. Community radio KXCI 91.3 FM will have Cesar Chavez Day programming from 3 pm – midnight on his birthday.

Huerta’s message of solidarity is particularly poignant today when immigration reform has been put on the back burner by some weak-kneed politicians, while other politicians are whipping up hatred for anyone who is different.

Both Chavez and Huerta have established foundations (linked here) to continue their struggle.

This article was originally published in my Progressive Examiner column.

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 27th, 2010 at 10:21 am and is filed under 2010 elections, Arizona, Democratic Party, Immigration, organizing, Politics, Tucson. Tags for this post: , , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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The Tucson Progressive

Pamela Powers Hannley writes the Tucson Progressive blog on the TucsonCitizen.com and contributes articles to the Huffington Post and Salon.com. She has had more than 30 years of experience in written, visual, and electronic communication—including freelance writing, photography, graphic design, and consulting. In addition to blogging for the Citizen, she is the Managing Editor of an international medical research journal.

Hannley has authored medical research articles, print magazine and newspaper stories, and numerous cancer prevention and self-help publications.

She has been a blogger since 2006, joined the ranks of Tucson Citizen bloggers in October 2010, and started contributing to the Huffington Post in 2011 and to Salon.com in 2012.

Hannley holds a masters’ degree in public health from The University of Arizona and a bachelors’ degree in journalism from The Ohio State University. She is a native of Amherst, Ohio but has lived in Tucson since 1981.