Pupils Briefly Follow in Chavez’s Footsteps

Schoolchildren throughout Ventura County celebrated Cesar Chavez’s birthday Friday by learning about and commemorating the late co-founder of the United Farm Workers Union.

At Rio Del Valle Middle School in Oxnard, teacher Denis O’Leary taught his students about the legendary labor leader and showed them a video of Chavez’s funeral. He also led them in a symbolic activity to show them what it feels like to work in the fields.

The students pushed cereal across an outdoor stage with rulers and yardsticks. After five minutes of leaning over the 12-inch rulers, O’Leary asked the students how they felt. Some said they were tired. Others complained of sore backs or the heat.

“In most cases, these kids do not know who Cesar Chavez is,” O’Leary said. “Cesar Chavez lived in Oxnard, and their parents work in the fields. They need to know about the path that Chavez walked.”

Isidro Casas, 13, spent part of Friday working on an essay about Chavez’s life and his impact on the farm worker community. Isidro said Chavez is especially important to him because his father works in the fields.

“If Cesar Chavez wouldn’t have done the things he did, my dad would have had to work even harder,” Isidro said. “And he works so hard right now.”

David Van Someren, 13, said more teachers should talk to their students about Cesar Chavez, who would have turned 73 Friday. David said that he thought his teacher was talking about the Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez, not the leader of the farm workers.