UT helps migrant students gain education

By: Stephanie Sanchez

A 77-year-old nationally recognized farm worker advocate urged high school educators Monday to teach their students about the history and importance of labor unions.

Dolores Huerta addressed about 50 students, parents and educators from across Texas at the 20th annual Migrant Student Recognition Ceremony at the Erwin Center. The event honored 40 migrant students who have completed distance learning courses through the University's Migrant Student Graduation Enhancement program.

The University program is designed to help migrant students graduate from high school by offering 42 distance learning courses. It is free for certified migrant students, according to the program's Web site.

"I want to stress that educators don't ever, ever degrade farm work," Huerta said. "It is the most sacred work of all - farm workers put the food on our table."

In the 1960s, Huerta, along with farm workers' rights activist César Chávez, organized agricultural workers and founded the United Farm Workers of America. Huerta also spearheaded the national grape, lettuce and Gallo wine boycott, which resulted in the enactment of the 1975 California Agricultural Labor Relations Act, granting workers the right to organize and bargain for better wages and working conditions, according to the Dolores Huerta Foundation Web site.

During her speech, Huerta pointed out that strikes and boycotts were omitted from a sheet in a packet of information that included a history of time workers distributed to attendees.

"You have to include strikes and boycotts, and we have to teach what labor unions fought for," Huerta said. Huerta livened the crowd by encouraging the audience to chant various phrases, including one, "Si se puede," which means "Yes, it can be done" in Spanish.

Two students were also honored with a $2,000 scholarship, which was contributed by ExxonMobil Foundation.

Since 1987, the Migrant Student Graduation Renhancement Program has enrolled more than 17,000 students.

"We are honored to have a person of the statue of Dolores Huerta address these young people about the struggle to make life better for farm workers and to encourage them to follow their educational dreams," said Felipe Alanis, associate dean of continuing education and K-16 education in a written statement.