A resolution honoring the accomplishments and legacy of Cesar Estrada Chavez.

III 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. RES. 559 Honoring the accomplishments and legacy of Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MAY 5, 2020 Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. BENNET, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. BOOKER, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mr. DURBIN, Ms. HARRIS, Mr. HEINRICH, Ms. HIRONO, and Ms. KLOBUCHAR) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary RESOLUTION Honoring the accomplishments and legacy of Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez. Whereas Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez was born on March 31, 1927, near Yuma, Arizona; Whereas Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez spent his early years on a family farm; Whereas, at the age of 10, Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez joined the thousands of migrant farm workers laboring in fields and vineyards throughout the Southwest after a bank fore- closure resulted in the loss of the family farm; Whereas Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez, after attending more than 30 elementary and middle schools and achieving an eighth grade education, left school to work full-time as a farm worker to help support his family; VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:24 May 05, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR559.IS SR559 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •SRES 559 IS Whereas, at the age of 17, Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez entered the United States Navy and served the United States with distinction for 2 years; Whereas, in 1948, Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez returned from mili- tary service to marry Helen Fabela, whom he had met while working in the vineyards of central California; Whereas Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez and Helen Fabela had 8 chil- dren; Whereas, as early as 1949, Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez was com- mitted to organizing farm workers to campaign for safe and fair working conditions, reasonable wages, livable housing, and the outlawing of child labor; Whereas, in 1952, Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez joined the Commu- nity Service Organization, a prominent Latino civil rights group, and worked with the organization to coordinate voter registration drives and conduct campaigns against discrimination in East Los Angeles; Whereas Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez served as the national direc- tor of the Community Service Organization; Whereas, in 1962, Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez left the Community Service Organization to establish the National Farm Workers Association, which eventually became the United Farm Workers of America; Whereas, under the leadership of Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez, the United Farm Workers of America organized thousands of migrant farm workers to fight for fair wages, health care coverage, pension benefits, livable housing, and respect; Whereas Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez was a strong believer in the principles of nonviolence practiced by Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:24 May 05, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR559.IS SR559 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •SRES 559 IS Whereas Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez effectively used peaceful tac- tics that included fasting for 25 days in 1968, 25 days in 1972, and 38 days in 1988 to call attention to the ter- rible working and living conditions of farm workers in the United States; Whereas, through his commitment to nonviolence, Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez brought dignity and respect to the orga- nized farm workers and became an inspiration to and a resource for individuals engaged in human rights strug- gles throughout the world; Whereas the influence of Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez extends far beyond agriculture and provides inspiration for individ- uals working to better human rights, empower workers, and advance the American Dream, which includes all in- dividuals of the United States; Whereas Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez died on April 23, 1993, at the age of 66 in San Luis, Arizona, only miles from his birthplace; Whereas more than 50,000 people attended the funeral serv- ices of Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez in Delano, California; Whereas Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez was laid to rest at the head- quarters of the United Farm Workers of America, known as ‘‘Nuestra Sen˜ora de La Paz’’, located in the Tehachapi Mountains in Keene, California; Whereas, since the death of Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez, schools, parks, streets, libraries, and other public facilities, as well as awards and scholarships, have been named in his honor; Whereas more than 10 States and dozens of communities across the United States honor the life and legacy of Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez each year on March 31; VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:24 May 05, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR559.IS SR559 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •SRES 559 IS Whereas March 31 is recognized as an official State holiday in California, Colorado, and Texas, and there is growing support to designate the birthday of Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez as a national day of service to memorialize his heroism; Whereas, during his lifetime, Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez was a re- cipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Prize; Whereas, on August 8, 1994, Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Free- dom; Whereas, on October 8, 2012, President Barack Obama au- thorized the Secretary of the Interior to establish a Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez National Monument in Keene, Cali- fornia; Whereas President Barack Obama was the last President to honor the life and service of Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez by proclaiming March 31, 2016, to be ‘‘Ce´sar Cha´vez Day’’ and by asking all people of the United States to observe March 31 with service, community, and education pro- grams to honor the enduring legacy of Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez; and Whereas the United States should continue the efforts of Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez to ensure equality, justice, and dignity for all people of the United States: Now, there- fore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) recognizes the accomplishments and exam- 2 ple of Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez, a great hero of the 3 United States; 4 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:24 May 05, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR559.IS SR559 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •SRES 559 IS (2) pledges to promote the legacy of Ce´sar 1 Estrada Cha´vez; and 2 (3) encourages the people of the United States 3 to commemorate the legacy of Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez 4 and to always remember his great rallying cry, ‘‘≠Sı´, 5 se puede!’’, which is Spanish for ‘‘Yes, we can!’’. 6 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:24 May 05, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR559.IS SR559 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS