SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio College is closed today as students and staff officially observe Cesar Chavez Day for the first time since the Alamo Colleges District board of trustees designated the observance as an official district holiday last July.
“By declaring Cesar Chavez Day as a holiday, we celebrate the enduring spirit of a visionary leader who fought against adversity to uplift the marginalized and vulnerable,” Alamo Colleges District Chancellor Dr. Mike Flores said in an ACD announcement July 26, 2023.
Chavez was a Mexican-American labor leader and civil rights activist who founded the first farm workers union in the United States. A first-generation American, Chavez got involved in community organizing in 1952.
His “dream was to organize a union that would protect and serve the farm workers whose poverty and powerlessness he had shared,” according to the Cesar Chavez Foundation website. In 1962, after spending his lifetime savings to make that happen, he started the United Farm Workers, formerly known as the National Farm Workers Association, which empowers farmworkers to advocate for higher wages and good working conditions.
Millions of Americans rallied behind “La causa” (the cause) when they joined Chávez in his reform efforts, and many continue to honor and carry forward his legacy of advocating for workers’ rights.
In 2010, President Barack Obama issued a presidential proclamation, recognizing Chavez’s birthday, March 31, as Cesar Chavez Day.
SAC students and staff joined community organizers March 23 to participate in the 28th annual Cesar E. Chavez March for Justice.
“It’s important for our community to come together and remember Cesar Chavez for all the good things that he did,” SAC Civic Engagement Coordinator Joseph Lidecke told SAC Student News at the march.
Student Government Association President Desteny Espinoza also attended the march and emphasized the importance of engaging with the community and remembering one’s heritage.
“History is always bringing us together. It’s always important to keep that unity [and] represent where we came from,” Espinoza said. “I want to always remember where I came from and [give] back to my community.”
Many SAC students wore t-shirts bearing the United Farm Workers motto “¡Si Se Puede!” The phrase in English translates to “Yes, it is possible,” or roughly, “Yes, we can.” The motto originated with UFW co-founder Dolores Huerta in 1972. Obama famously adopted the phrase “Yes, we can” for his 2008 presidential campaign.
The two-mile march started on the historic west side near the Guadalupe Theater and ended at Hemisfair Civic Park. Marchers filled the street with flags, signs and chants.
The event included speaker Ernest Martinez, chair of the Cesar E. Chavez Legacy and Educational Foundation, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, San Antonio City Councilwoman Teri Castillo, Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai and Commissioner Justin Rodriguez.
