IV
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. RES. 105
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding Ce´sar E.
Cha´vez.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 28, 2001
Mr. BACA (for himself, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. ACEVEDO-VILA´, Mr. BAR-
RETT, Mr. BECERRA, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. BONIOR, Mr. BRADY of Pennsyl-
vania, Mr. CLAY, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. EVANS, Mr. FILNER, Mr. FROST,
Mr. GONZALEZ, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Mr. HILLIARD, Mr. HINOJOSA, Mr.
HONDA, Ms. HOOLEY of Oregon, Mr. INSLEE, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. KEN-
NEDY of Rhode Island, Mr. KUCINICH, Mr. MENENDEZ, Ms. MCCARTHY
of Missouri, Ms. MILLENDER-MCDONALD, Ms. MCKINNEY, Mrs.
NAPOLITANO, Mr. ORTIZ, Mr. PASTOR, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. REYES, Mr.
RODRIGUEZ, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Ms. SANCHEZ, Mr. SANDERS, Ms.
SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. SCHIFF, Ms. SOLIS, Mr. UDALL of
Colorado, Mr. UDALL
of New Mexico, Mr. UNDERWOOD, Ms.
VELA´ZQUEZ, Mr. WAXMAN, Mr. WEXLER, Mr. FRANK, Ms. BALDWIN,
and Mr. NADLER) submitted the following resolution; which was referred
to the Committee on Government Reform
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives
regarding 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 numerous holidays, schools, parks, libraries, and
other structures and events have been named after Ce´sar
•HRES 105 IH
E. Cha´vez, internationally and in Arizona, California,
Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michi-
gan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, and
Texas, with many more planned;
Whereas Ce´sar E. Cha´vez was a recipient of the Martin Lu-
ther King Jr. Peace Prize during his lifetime and was
awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President
Clinton on August 8, 1994;
Whereas, 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 de-
veloped 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 distinc-
tion for 2 years;
Whereas, as early as 1949, Ce´sar E. Cha´vez committed him-
self to organizing farm workers to campaign for safe and
fair working conditions, reasonable wages, decent hous-
ing, 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 protec-
tions 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;
•HRES 105 IH
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 them-
selves to the education of farm workers’ children through
migrant schools, many of whom graduated and worked as
teachers, doctors, nurses, and in other professional occu-
pations;
Whereas the legacy of Ce´sar E. Cha´vez includes healthy
working conditions that yield uncontaminated food for
America’s tables;
Whereas Ce´sar E. Cha´vez’s influence extends far beyond ag-
riculture and provides inspiration for those working to
better human rights through his example of organizing
voter registration drives in urban and farm areas, initi-
ating complaints against mistreatment by police and wel-
fare officials, and empowering everyday workers to seek
advancement in education and politics;
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; and
Whereas the Nation should not cease its efforts to improve
the conditions of farm workers, remembering the rallying
cry of Ce´sar E. Cha´vez, ‘‘Si se puede!’’ (There is Hope!):
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that—
•HRES 105 IH
(1) there should be a legal public holiday hon-
oring Ce´sar E. Cha´vez;
(2) each of the several States and the District
of Columbia should observe Ce´sar E. Cha´vez Day as
a paid legal holiday; and
(3) public elementary and secondary schools
across the Nation should be required to designate a
day to remember the life and work of Ce´sar E.
Cha´vez, including instruction on this topic to stu-
dents in those schools.
Æ