Pelosi Statement on César Chávez Day
Contact: Speaker's Press Office, 202-226-7616
San Francisco – Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement in honor of César Chávez Day, which commemorates the civil and labor rights leader's birthday, March 31, 1927:
"On César Chávez Day, Americans across the country celebrate a visionary leader whose towering legacy of activism has helped deliver remarkable progress for the Latino community and all Americans. For César Chávez, the movement for farmworkers' rights was about more than fair wages and fair treatment, it was about honoring the universal humanity of all people and working tirelessly to strengthen our society and our nation.
"As the co-founder and longtime visionary leader of the United Farm Workers, César Chávez's powerful message of hope, nonviolence and equal opportunity helped galvanize a generation of workers, labor leaders and community organizers to stand up and demand the respect and rights that their work deserves. Guided by César Chávez's determined spirit, these tireless men and women have helped advance incredible progress to secure the right to organize, to bargain collectively, to have enforceable contracts and safe working conditions, and to participate fully in our political process. César Chávez's transformational leadership improved the lives of not only our nation's farmworkers, but of all working families, and in the process, inspired millions of activists around the world to build a brighter future for themselves and their communities.
"Each César Chávez Day, we reaffirm our vital commitment to build on Chávez's proud legacy of service and sacrifice. As he reminded all of us, ‘To make a great dream come true, the first requirement is a great capacity to dream; the second is persistence.' Today, and every day, Democrats continue to be empowered by the dreams and aspirations of all those who have worked to ensure that our nation lives up to its bedrock values of freedom, justice and equality, and we will continue to fight to ensure the American Dream remains within reach for all."
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