Honoring the Memory of My Grandfather, César E. Chávez

President Barack Obama and Helen Chávez place a rose at the gravesite of César Chávez before the dedication ceremony for the César E. Chávez National Monument in Keene, Calif., Oct. 8, 2012.

(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Today the President traveled to Keene, California to honor the memory of César Estrada Chávez, by designating the property at Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz as a National Monument. Although César Chavez was one of my heroes, he was also my grandfather which made today’s dedication so moving and powerful. La Paz was my grandparents home and the headquarters of the United Farm Workers of America (UFW) since the early 1970s but to a young child growing up in the farm workers’ movement it was also our playground.  

Growing up in La Paz I spent a lot of time with my grandfather and my grandmother Helen, who still lives on the property. I ran around like any child, playing with my cousins, enjoying the beautiful nature that surrounds it, going on hikes, and even doing Yoga with my grandfather. But I also grew up sitting in on organizing sessions with thousands of farmworkers who prepared for any number of campaigns for basic rights, like clean drinking water, protection from pesticides, or just basic wages. There wasn’t a day I didn’t hear stories from my mom and her sisters about how difficult it was working in the fields when they were younger, so when it became our turn to do our part to support my grandfather, I didn’t think twice.  Often times we’d go for “a drive” with my grandfather and find ourselves spending the day leafleting and knocking on doors to mobilize farmworkers. La Paz was my grandparents’ home, my home, and home to hundreds of volunteers that built the farm workers movement, but I always knew it was so much more than that.

read more

Fonte: White House