YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

May 7, 2006

Editorial

To honor Chavez, consider a range of ideas in Valley

Rather than being criticized, the Yakima City Council should be commended for pulling back and looking at other options than simply renaming a city street for Cesar Chavez.
Perhaps honoring the late champion of farm workers' rights can be done on a much broader scale. More on that later.

We certainly don't see the council's action in tabling a request for a hearing on renaming A Street in Yakima as stonewalling or ending the dialogue on Chavez. We see that dialogue as just beginning.

If recognition is reserved for people who had a dramatic impact on the quality of life in the Yakima Valley, then Chavez would certainly qualify.

Born in Yuma, Ariz., on March 31, 1927, Chavez was the founding force behind organizing farm workers in California, starting in the 1960s, in pursuit of basic human dignity and fairness in wages, hours and working conditions. His efforts led to formation of the United Farm Workers of America.

Heavily influenced by the writings of Mahatma Gandhi and his philosophy of nonviolence, Chavez coupled his remarkable organizing skills with boycotts and fasts, marches and demonstrations to spark the farm worker movement.

He brought his influence to the Yakima Valley in the spring of 1986 as farm worker advocates were struggling to organize here. That effort became high-profile when Chavez led a ­seven-mile march of about 700 farm workers and supporters from Granger to Toppenish.

Quoting from a April 6, 1986, story in the Yakima Herald-Republic:

"It's our mission," said the 59-year-old Chavez as he walked along Highway 97 on the final leg to Toppenish. "We're committed to the proposition of farm worker rights. For sure, there's a long way to go."

It's a commitment he nurtured during life and one that continues today, long after his death in 1993.

So, is it appropriate to honor him in some fashion? Yes. The question would seem to be only how.

The request to rename A Street was advanced and put on hold. Perhaps other thoroughfares would be a better choice, and the city does now have a procedure in place for public review of street-naming requests.

Another possibility mentioned is renaming Miller Park, named for Alexander Miller, a noted businessman and philanthropist in Yakima's early history.

Certainly there is justification for doing something in Yakima, a city built in large part on the backs of farm workers.

We toss out another possibility. Given the lasting impact of Chavez on agriculture in general, and farm workers in particular, perhaps the scope of such an honor should be larger than just the city of Yakima. How about countywide, to embrace the areas where the farm workers he championed are critical components of the economy?

Rather than a city street, maybe a road that travels through farm lands is more appropriate to bear his name. If we can have a Wine Country Road, why not a Chavez Parkway?

It's something to think about. Let's look at the possibilities before settling on a single proposal.

In March, the City Council approved the renaming of B Street to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, with the change taking effect June 1.

Cesar Chavez is certainly a worthy candidate for the next honor paid to a civil rights leader, whatever form it eventually takes.

Looking into the future, perhaps heroes with significant local ties should be considered now that the two giants of civil rights movements have been singled out for much-deserved recognition.