Farm Worker Union to Remember Chavez

The late labor leader Cesar Chavez will be honored at Ventura College today for his commitment to the United Farm Workers Union.

“We commemorate Cesar because he inspired the Chicano movement of the ‘60s, the civil rights movements and the grape boycotts,” said Octavio Sifuentes, spokesman for the Cultural Events Committee.

“He was a man of peace and accomplished everything through nonviolence--from starting the union to having major international cooperation with the boycotts,” Sifuentes said of Chavez, who died in 1993 at age 66.

Chavez’s approach to organizing and negotiating stemmed from the lessons in nonviolence his mother preached and was later reinforced by his studying the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi.

The United Farm Workers is in the midst of one of its most ambitious tasks since Chavez’s death--organizing 20,000 strawberry pickers throughout California.

More than 30,000--including people from 23 states--marched in Watsonville last weekend in support of the strawberry pickers, who have been struggling with growers over wages, health care benefits, pension plans and working conditions.

Many workers haven’t had a raise in over 10 years and make only $9,000 per year, said Jocelyn Sherman, spokeswoman for the UFW headquarters in Kern County.

“Cesar gave us a gift--he gave us the ability to fight nonviolently,” she said. “He fought for justice his whole life and now that he’s passed away, it’s for us to take his burden and move forward--the young people are the ones that can make the changes.”

The commemoration, open to the public, begins at 11:30 in Room K-1 with the film “Fighting for Our Lives.” Speakers at 12:30 will be followed by songs of La Causa and Boleros with Luis Velasquez and Paul Lerma.