IV

107TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 3

Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding a Federal holiday to

commemorate the birthday of Ce ́sar E. Cha ́vez.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JANUARY 3, 2001

Mr. FILNER submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred

to the Committee on Government Reform

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding a Federal

holiday to commemorate the birthday of Ce ́sar E. Cha ́vez.

Whereas Ce ́sar E. Cha ́vez was born March 31, 1927, on a

small farm near Yuma, Arizona, and died on April 23,

1993;

Whereas the State of California and the city of San Diego,

California, has each established a holiday to recognize the

birthday of Ce ́sar E. Cha ́vez;

Whereas numerous holidays, schools, parks, libraries, and

other structures and events have been named after Ce ́sar

E. Cha ́vez, internationally and in Arizona, California,

Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, and

Texas, with many more planned;
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Whereas Ce ́sar E. Cha ́vez was a recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Prize during his lifetime and was

awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President

Clinton on August 8, 1994;

Whereas as the grandson of a Mexican immigrant and settler,

he grew up working with migrant farm workers, himself

picking grapes, melons, beans, and other staple crops at

low wages and for long hours, during which time he developed a strong work ethic and respect for the farm

workers his father called ‘‘the children of God’’;

Whereas at the age of 18, Ce ́sar E. Cha ́vez entered the

United States Navy and served his country with distinction for 2 years;

Whereas as early as 1949, Ce ́sar E. Cha ́vez committed himself to organizing farm workers to campaign for safe and

fair working conditions, reasonable wages, decent housing, and the outlawing of child labor;

Whereas in 1962, Ce ́sar E. Cha ́vez founded the National

Farm Workers Association, predecessor of the United

Farm Workers of America, which brought hope to farm

workers that they might one day realize the basic protections and workers’ rights to which all Americans aspire;

Whereas through his commitment to nonviolence, Ce ́sar E.

Cha ́vez brought dignity and respect to the farm workers

who organized themselves and became an inspiration and

a resource to other Americans and people engaged in

human rights struggles throughout the world;

Whereas Ce ́sar E. Cha ́vez was an advocate for nonviolence at

a time when violence penetrated every level of our society;

Whereas Ce ́sar E. Cha ́vez and his family also dedicated themselves to the education of farm workers’ children through
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migrant schools, many of whom graduated and worked as

teachers, doctors, nurses, and in other professional occupations;

Whereas the legacy of Ce ́sar E. Cha ́vez includes healthy

working conditions that yield uncontaminated food for

America’s tables and the enforcement of employer sanctions for those who hire illegal immigrants;

Whereas Ce ́sar E. Cha ́vez’s influence extends far beyond agriculture and provides inspiration for those working to

better human rights through his example of organizing

voter registration drives in urban and farm areas, initiating complaints against mistreatment by police and welfare officials, and empowering everyday workers to seek

advancement in education and politics; and

Whereas Ce ́sar E. Cha ́vez lived alongside his campesino

brothers and sisters in humble surroundings and upon

his passing was laid to rest where he lived and worked

for 23 years on the grounds of the headquarters of the

United Farm Workers of America, known as Nuestra

Sen ̃ora de La Paz (Our Lady of Peace), located in the

Tehachapi Mountains at Keene, California: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that—

3 (1) a Federal holiday should be established to

honor Ce ́sar E. Cha ́ 4 vez for his tireless commitment

5 to improve the plight of farm workers and the poor

6 throughout the United States and for the inspiration

7 his heroic efforts gave to so many Americans to
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1 work nonviolently for justice in their communities;

2 and

3 (2) all Americans should commit themselves to

4 working for justice through nonviolence in their com5 munities and remind themselves of the work of the

6 people who put food on the tables of America.

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