Senator Boxer on Cesar Chavez Day   

Thursday, March 24, 2005  

 
"Sí, se puede - Yes, we can.”  With these immortal words, we celebrate Cesar Chavez’s 78th birthday this March 31st. Chavez, the late labor leader who has inspired generations of Americans with his tireless dedication to helping farm workers achieve social justice and fair representation, never stopped working to advance the causes of the people.

As a migrant farm worker in his youth, Chavez learned about the struggles that countless other farm workers also experienced - poor wages, poor medical coverage, and poor working conditions. Unhappy with these conditions, Chavez began to explore the options available to improve the situation. His advocacy on behalf of the farm workers soon led to the creation of the United Farm Workers of America. Today, the United Farm Workers of America is the largest farm workers union in the country. It is thanks to Chavez’s unflagging determination to bring justice and equality to all farm workers, that farm workers have the rights that they do today.

Countless numbers of people across the country celebrate Cesar Chavez Day every year, which points to the significance of his legacy in American history. Although Chavez passed away over a decade ago, his never-give-up philosophy and can-do spirit are still thriving today.

Last August, I had the opportunity to visit Cesar Chavez’s grave site. As I stood before the site, with some of his family members with me, I was moved by his intense desire for social justice, fairness, and equality. In the spirit of Cesar Chavez, you may be interested to know that I am co-sponsoring several pieces of legislation that I hope will help to further justice and equality for all Americans.

S.359: The Agricultural Job Opportunities, Benefits, and Security Act of 2005 (AgJOBS). This bill would:

- provide for the adjustment of status of certain foreign agricultural workers;

- amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to reform the H-2A worker program;

- provide a stable, legal agricultural workforce; and

- extend basic legal protections and better working conditions to more workers.

S.14: The Fair Wage, Competition, and Investment Act of 2005. This bill would:

- provide fair wages for America's workers;

- create new jobs through investment in America; and

- provide for fair trade and competitiveness.

S.357: The Next Generation Hispanic Serving Institutions Act. This bill would:

- provide first-time support for graduate education at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs);

- provide new program support for two-year HSIs; and

- authorize $125 million in new spending on graduate education enhancements at HSIs beginning in federal fiscal year 2006.

Sincerely,