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President Biden’s Oval Office displaying Cesar Chavez bust

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Cesar Chavez Foundation sends sculpture to White House from Cesar E. Chavez National Monument

 

Keene, Calif.—A bronze bust of civil rights and farm labor leader Cesar Chavez is on display in President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s Oval Office. The 9” by 22” bronze sculpture on a granite pedestal by artist Paul A. Suarez had been on display in the Visitor Center of the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument, the 398th unit of the National Park Service (NPS). This is where Chavez lived and labored his last quarter century and where he is buried alongside his wife, Helen, in the Tehachapi Mountain town of Keene, Calif. southeast of Bakersfield.

 

The President-elect’s transition team requested the artwork for the Oval Office and it was shipped to the White House by the Cesar Chavez Foundation, which through its arm, the National Chavez Center (NCC), helps administer the national monument in a partnership with the park service.

 

“Placing a bust of my father in the Oval Office symbolizes the hopeful new day that is dawning for our nation,” said Paul F. Chavez, Chavez’s middle son and president of the Cesar Chavez Foundation. “That isn’t just because it honors my dad, but more importantly because it represents faith and empowerment for an entire people on whose behalf he fought and sacrificed.”

 

“The most important quality about Cesar Chavez I wanted to convey with this sculpture was his compassion,” affirmed the artist, Paul Suarez. “It was created 25 years ago, relying heavily on research and input from people who were close to him.”

 

The historic Keene property, encompassing 187 acres, is managed collaboratively by the National Chavez Center and National Park Service. It includes three acres NCC donated to the park service to create the national monument when it was dedicated by President Obama during a ceremony in 2012. The Cesar Chavez Foundation and United Farm Workers are also headquartered on the grounds.

 

Suarez, 62, is a native of the west Central Valley farm town of Hanford, Calif. who now resides with his family in Tennessee. Self-taught, he has worked in bronze and stone as well as painted on canvas.

Students from the Salandini Villa Si Se Puede Learning Center present a Cesar Chavez Day play

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Every year students from Si Se Puede Learning Centers across California and the Southwest choose a service learning project in honor of Cesar Chavez Day. Students from Salandini Villa Apartments in Parlier, Calif. chose to reenact a play inspired by Cesar Chavez. They spent months rehearsing their lines and building a set and props in preparation for their big performance. Sadly, due to the coronavirus outbreak all in-person programs were canceled. However, the show must go on! Enjoy an animation version of their production.

 

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World Central Kitchen & Farm Worker Movement Distribute Meals for Farm Worker Families

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Delano, Calif.—More than 1,000 meals were distributed Wednesday in Delano to families suffering amidst the coronavirus pandemic, launching a joint effort by the UFW Foundation and World Central Kitchen, in coordination with the United Farm Workers and Cesar Chavez Foundation, that will expand throughout many farm worker communities in California. The meals passed out at the movement’s Forty Acres property west of Delano were prepared by local restaurants. Meals will be provided at least once a week in Delano and in each of the farm worker communities that will be served through this partnership. Farm worker communities are being notified of the food distribution through the Cesar Chavez Foundation radio networks, La Campesina and Forge.

Since its founding, World Central Kitchen has served more than 17 million meals to those impacted by natural disasters and other crises around the world, including the coronavirus global pandemic.

 

Nate Mook, chief executive officer of World Central Kitchen, said, “Farm workers truly are the backbone of America’s food system … without them, there would be nothing at our grocery stores and farmers markets, no food on our plates. We’re proud to stand beside this community and help uplift them at this vital time, working with and supporting local restaurants to serve not only meals to farm workers and their families, but also dignity and hope for the future.”

 

Diana Tellefson Torres, executive director of the UFW Foundation affirmed, “Farm workers and their families remain some of the most vulnerable during this pandemic even though they are officially defined as essential workers. Our partnership with World Central Kitchen, local restaurants and sister organizations in the farm worker movement provides relief and is a sign of hope for thousands of families that have been especially hard hit.”

 

Teresa Romero, president of the United Farm Workers, stated, “It is an especially tragic irony that too many of the people who produce the food that sustains all of us are in need during the crisis. These meals are also important because too many farm workers who are undocumented receive no benefits such as unemployment insurance and taxpayer checks from relief measures such as the $2.2 trillion stimulus law recently passed by Congress.”

 

Paul Chavez, president of the Cesar Chavez Foundation, said, “The Cesar Chavez Foundation is proud to be a partner in this important effort taking place at the historic Forty Acres. Through actions like food distributions, my father’s legacy lives on and continues to inspire and transform our most vulnerable communities during these difficult times.”

 

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Ybarra Village, An Affordable Housing Development Near Completion, Set to Achieve LEED for Homes Gold Certification

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Ybarra Village, a joint effort by the Cesar Chavez Foundation and New Directions for Veterans (NDVets), is a new affordable housing community development in the West Adams district of Los Angeles. Set to achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification, the residential community will feature 64 units as well as on-site social service programs for veterans provided by NDVets. Thirty six units will be reserved for homeless veterans, some with special needs, and 27 will be designated for seniors with a preference for senior veterans.

“The LEED Gold Certification reinforces our commitment to inspiring and transforming communities in a way that promotes sustainability,” said Alfredo Izmajtovich, Executive Vice President of Housing and Economic Development for the Cesar Chavez Foundation. “We are proud to work with New Directions for Veterans in building sustainable and affordable living spaces for veterans in need of housing. We are setting the bar for what can be achieved both individually and community wide.”

Ybarra Village will provide a number of sustainable building methods in order to promote sustainability as well as result in lower utility bills for residents.  Water efficiency will be observed in the properties’ planned landscaping which will include an efficient irrigation system for a variety of drought tolerant plants and tree species that require low water and low maintenance needs, in addition to a shut-off valve, sub-metering for the irrigation system, drip irrigation for 50% of planning beds, timer or controller for each water area, pressure-regulating devices and moisture sensor or rain delay controllers.  In the interior units, water conservation will be achieved by the installation of efficient plumbing fixtures including low flow toilets, shower heads and faucets in both kitchens and bathrooms.  Additionally, all kitchens will have Energy Star dishwashing machines that will use less than 6.0 gallons per cycle.

Energy efficiency will be observed by a number of practices including the use of a high efficiency HVAC system, light fixtures and the use of rooftop solar water photovoltaic panels which will produce solar thermal panels which will pre-heat water for the domestic hot water system.  Energy efficient washing and drying machines will be installed in the laundry rooms.  The units which also include energy efficiency appliances including refrigerators, dishwashers and stoves.

There are a number of areas designated for residents’ use including two ample outdoor courtyards with tables and benches and a barbeque grill for group gatherings or individual use to encourage residents to spend time outdoors.  Additionally, the property includes a large community room, leasing office and office spaces for case management and resident services staff.   Ybarra Village will provide 53 parking spaces for resident use and service staff and a number of electric vehicle “EV- ready” chargers as well as 64 resident bicycle parking racks.

The property’s location is centrally located in the West Adams district of Los Angeles.  The amenity-rich neighborhood is within walking distance of grocery stores, shops, restaurants, schools and public transportation including Metro Buses and the Expo Line.

New residents will receive basic operations and training including a one-hour walkthrough of all features within their units so they can learn about the new sustainable LEED building and the many environmental benefits of Ybarra Village.

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Save the Date for the 2020 Cesar Chavez Legacy Awards

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The Cesar Chavez Foundation invites you to join us in celebrating our 19th annual Legacy Awards Gala. The event will bring together national and local leaders from every sector of business, government, labor and education and promises to be as entertaining as it will be inspiring. On this night, we will remember the life and work of Cesar Chavez and honor distinguished individuals for their commitment to social justice and their positive contributions and outstanding leadership in their respective fields The Cesar Chavez Legacy Awards are presented to individuals who exemplify excellence and commitment to community and advocacy.

When: Thursday, March 26, 2020 (rescheduled until September 2020)

Where: The Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles

Contact: Monica Parra, mparra@chavezfoundation.org

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Join us for the 2019 Cesar Chavez Legacy Awards Gala

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The Cesar Chavez Foundation invites you to join us in celebrating our 18th annual Legacy Awards Gala. The event will bring together national and local leaders from every sector of business, government, labor and education and promises to be as entertaining as it will be inspiring. On this night, we will remember the life and work of Cesar Chavez and honor distinguished individuals for their commitment to social justice and their positive contributions and outstanding leadership in their respective fields The Cesar Chavez Legacy Awards are presented to individuals who exemplify excellence and commitment to community and advocacy.

For sponsorship information, click here.

When: Thursday, April 4, 2019

Where: The Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles

Contact: Nora Benavides, nbenavides@chavezfoundation.org

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Cesar Chavez Grandson at Dedication in Salinas of Plaque Where Chavez Was Jailed in 1970

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A bronze plaque was dedicated Tuesday, December 4 in Salinas outside the Old Monterey County Jail, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 because of its link with the incarceration there of Cesar Chavez on Dec. 4, 1970. He had disobeyed a rural judge’s injunction against the boycott of a huge Salinas Valley vegetable grower. As he was being led away in the Salinas courtroom after the judge ordered him to jail, Chavez defiantly said, “Boycott the hell out of them.” After 20 days, on Christmas Eve, he was ordered set free by the California Supreme Court, which later found the injunction unconstitutional. Coretta Scott King and Ethel Kennedy, widows of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Senator Robert F. Kennedy, visited him at the jail.

“The lessons learned nearly 50 years apply today,” said Andres Chavez, 24, a Chavez grandson representing the Chavez family and Cesar Chavez Foundation at the plaque unveiling ceremony in front of the old jail. “It is my hope that this plaque serves as a source of inspiration and a call to action to be courageous and to always stand on the right side of history, whether it be resisting the separation of families or continuing to support the farm workers’ right to organize.”

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¡Yo Aqui Cuento!

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In 1984, long before most people were talking about Latinos being the “sleeping giant” in electoral politics, Cesar Chavez spoke of the political power that came with the growing numbers of Latinos. Cesar’s words spoken over 30 years ago during the Commonwealth Club Address resonate now more than ever:

“Like the other immigrant groups, the day will come when we win the economic and political rewards which are in keeping with our numbers in society. The day will come when the politicians do the right thing by our people out of political necessity and not out of charity or idealism.
That day may not come this year. That day may not come during this decade. But it will come, someday!”

Follow along with the Yo Aqui Cuento campaign on the Cesar Chavez Foundation’s Facebook page to learn about the importance of voting and don’t forget to exercise your right to vote on November 6, 2018.