This is the 3rd annual day in celebration of the life and legacy of C�sar Ch�vez. In California, the official title is C�sar Ch�vez Day of Service and Learning. Check out the link, it has some good quotes by the man who worked tirelessly for fair wages and food working conditions for farmworkers. He was far from perfect, but he did inspire many, especially when it came to the nonviolent approach.

I think I have a special place in my heart for Ch�vez because I come from a family who did their fair share of farm labor. My Pap� Chepe (grandfather) came to the US in the 1940s as part of the Bracero Program specifically to work in the San Joaquin valley picking lettuce and other fruits or vegetables. My paternal grandfather, Grandpa, worked as a ranch hand on a farm in Texas near the border. My mom used to spend some of her summers in the San Joaquin Valley with her family picking fruit and helping out the family. Luckily, I never had to do that, but hearing my parents and grandparents tell their stories.

The Chicana/o Studies center at my campus is named after Ch�vez. I love that... when the center was officially established, Ch�vez had just passed away. For months before that, students had struggled to demand that a Chicana/o Studies department be established on campus. A group of about 13 even went on a hunger strike. The center carries the name of Ch�vez to pay tribute to the legacy of a man who believed that "the end of all education should surely be service to others." The center promotes that all students use their training to better serve their communities whether we go into medicine, education, law, labor, etc.

I have the utmost respect for someone who believed that the primary purpose of his life was to serve others. It reminds me that there's always something greater than me that I got to work for.

Finally, my dad bears an uncanny resemblance to Ch�vez, he's just a bit chunkier.

I feel inspired, I think this is just what I needed to finish off the academic year strong.

c/s

Me siento: inspired
Escuchando: common's "i am music"

M�s reciente:
Searches - 09.16.05
the big move - 07.29.05
mother and daughter: a comparative analysis - 07.28.05
jardineros y dom�sticas - 07.27.05
tough question - 07.25.05

antes // despu�s