IV 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 662 
Recognizing March 31 as ‘‘Ce´sar Cha´vez Day’’ in honor of the 
accomplishments and legacy of Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 23, 2016 
Mr. CA´RDENAS (for himself, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. VARGAS, 
Mr. GALLEGO, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Ms. HAHN, Mr. VELA, Ms. NORTON, 
Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. CUELLAR, Ms. BROWNLEY of California, 
Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, Ms. MOORE, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. SCHA-
KOWSKY, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. HINOJOSA, Mr. GUTIE´RREZ, Ms. MICHELLE 
LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico, Mr. LEWIS, Mrs. TORRES, Ms. TITUS, 
Mr. CASTRO of Texas, Ms. LEE, Mr. SABLAN, Mr. HONDA, Mr. TAKANO, 
Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California, Mr. SIRES, Ms. LINDA T. 
SA´NCHEZ of California, Ms. SPEIER, Mr. SERRANO, Ms. ROYBAL- 
ALLARD, Mr. PIERLUISI, Mr. ELLISON, Mr. LOEBSACK, Mr. PETERS, Mr. 
KENNEDY, Mr. DELANEY, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. AGUILAR, Ms. JUDY CHU 
of California, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Ms. MENG, Mr. BECERRA, and Mr. KIL-
DEE) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Oversight and Government Reform 
RESOLUTION 
Recognizing March 31 as ‘‘Ce´sar Cha´vez Day’’ in honor 
of the accomplishments and legacy of Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez. 
Whereas Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez was born on March 31, 1927, 
near Yuma, Arizona; 
Whereas Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez spent his early years on a 
family farm; 
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•HRES 662 IH 
Whereas, at the age of 10, Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez joined the 
thousands of migrant farm workers laboring in fields and 
vineyards throughout the Southwest after a bank fore-
closure resulted in the loss of the family farm; 
Whereas Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez, after attending more than 
30 elementary and middle schools and achieving an 
eighth grade education, left school to work full time as 
a farm worker to help support his family; 
Whereas at the age of 17, Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez entered the 
United States Navy and served the United States with 
distinction for 2 years; 
Whereas in 1948, Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez returned from mili-
tary service to marry Helen Fabela, whom he had met 
while working in the vineyards of central California; 
Whereas Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez and Helen Fabela had 8 chil-
dren; 
Whereas, as early as 1949, Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez was com-
mitted to organizing farm workers to campaign for safe 
and fair working conditions, reasonable wages, livable 
housing, and outlawing child labor; 
Whereas in 1952, Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez joined the Commu-
nity Service Organization, a prominent Latino civil rights 
group, and worked with the organization to coordinate 
voter registration drives and conduct campaigns against 
discrimination in East Los Angeles; 
Whereas Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez served as the national direc-
tor of the Community Service Organization; 
Whereas in 1962, Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez left the Community 
Service Organization to found the National Farm Work-
ers Association, which eventually became the United 
Farm Workers of America; 
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•HRES 662 IH 
Whereas under the leadership of Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez, the 
United Farm Workers of America organized thousands of 
migrant farm workers to fight for fair wages, health care 
coverage, pension benefits, livable housing, and respect; 
Whereas Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez was a strong believer in the 
principles of nonviolence practiced by Mahatma Gandhi 
and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; 
Whereas Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez effectively used peaceful tac-
tics that included fasting for 25 days in 1968, 25 days 
in 1972, and 38 days in 1988, to call attention to the 
terrible working and living conditions of farm workers in 
the United States; 
Whereas, through his commitment to nonviolence, Ce´sar 
Estrada Cha´vez brought dignity and respect to organized 
farm workers and became an inspiration to and a re-
source for individuals engaged in human rights struggles 
throughout the world; 
Whereas the influence of Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez extends far 
beyond agriculture and provides inspiration for those 
working to better human rights, empower workers, and 
advance the American Dream, which includes all individ-
uals of the United States; 
Whereas Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez died on April 23, 1993, at 
the age of 66 in San Luis, Arizona, only miles from his 
birthplace; 
Whereas more than 50,000 people attended the funeral serv-
ices of Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez in Delano, California; 
Whereas Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez was laid to rest at the head-
quarters of the United Farm Workers of America, known 
as Nuestra Sen˜ora de La Paz, located in the Tehachapi 
Mountains in Keene, California; 
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•HRES 662 IH 
Whereas, since the death of Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez, schools, 
parks, streets, libraries, and other public facilities, as well 
as awards and scholarships, have been named in his 
honor; 
Whereas more than 10 States and dozens of communities 
across the United States honor the life and legacy of 
Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez each year on March 31; 
Whereas March 31 is recognized as an official State holiday 
in California, Colorado, and Texas, and there is growing 
support to designate the birthday of Ce´sar Estrada 
Cha´vez as a national day of service to memorialize his 
heroism; 
Whereas during his lifetime, Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez was a re-
cipient of the Martin Luther King, Jr., Peace Prize; 
Whereas, on August 8, 1994, Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez was 
posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Free-
dom; 
Whereas, on October 8, 2012, President Barack Obama au-
thorized the Secretary of the Interior to establish a Ce´sar 
Estrada Cha´vez National Monument in Keene, Cali-
fornia; 
Whereas President Barack Obama honored the life of service 
of Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez by proclaiming March 31, 2013, 
to be ‘‘Ce´sar Cha´vez Day’’ and by asking all people of 
the United States to observe March 31 with service, com-
munity, and education programs to honor the enduring 
legacy of Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez; and 
Whereas the United States should continue the efforts of 
Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez to ensure equality, justice, and 
dignity for all people of the United States: Now, there-
fore, be it 
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•HRES 662 IH 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes ‘‘Ce´sar Cha´vez Day’’ to honor 
the accomplishments and example of Ce´sar Estrada 
Cha´vez, a great hero of the United States; 
(2) pledges to promote the legacy of Ce´sar 
Estrada Cha´vez; and 
(3) encourages the people of the United States 
to commemorate the legacy of Ce´sar Estrada Cha´vez 
and to always remember his great rallying cry, ‘‘≠Sı´, 
se puede!’’, which is Spanish for ‘‘Yes, we can!’’. 
Æ 
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