SAN LUIS OBISPO (California) TRIBUNE March 25, 2007
César Chávez: Yes, he did Strolling through the grounds of the National César Chávez Center, a visitor get the sense — and rightly so — of walking into the heart of this nation’s struggle for farm workers’ rights. The National Chávez Center at Nuestra Señora Reina de La Paz (in Keene, a small town in the Central Valley) is the official, living memorial dedicated to the life, legacy and work of César Estrada Chávez, the late farm worker and civil rights leader. The labor leader’s birthday is Saturday, and a trip to the center is an ideal way to learn about Chávez and the political and social movement he humbly led. The center was established in 2004 by the César E. Chávez Foundation. Set amid beautiful rolling hills covered with oak trees, it’s located 30 miles east of Bakersfield in the heart of the Tehachapi Mountains. The United Farm Workers Union (UFW) originally purchased this 187-acre property, a former sanitarium for tuberculosis patients, for its headquarters, and Chávez guided the UFW from this location from 1971 until the time of his death in 1993. Chávez resided here for 20 years, finding personal refuge and relaxation among the oaks and streams. Chávez is buried here, and visitors can view his grave and walk through a memorial garden dedicated in his honor. The visitor’s center features a variety of multimedia exhibits. A theater screens documentary films about the UFW and Chávez. An exhibit space currently displays a black and white photography exhibit by Jon Lewis, "Walking Into History: The 1966 Pilgrimage from Delano to Sacramento," which documents the historic march led by Chávez. The Pilgrimage In September 1965, Chávez, along with Filipino farm workers, launched a labor strike in Delano to address working conditions and low wages, but it was this historic march to Sacramento that brought national exposure to the plight of farm workers. The exhibit captures moving images of a young Chávez and many strikers during the 350-mile march as it moved through the heart of the Central Valley. Chávez arrived at the California State Capitol on Easter Sunday with 10,000 supporters by his side. The strike and march were part of a national strategy that would eventually lead to the first genuine contract between a grower and a farm workers’ union in the history of the United States. Other displays The center also has several interactive exhibits. Visitors can view Chávez’s office area just as he left it prior to his death. His workspace is littered with books, religious icons, labor contracts and music albums — Chavez was a big fan of Benny Goodman. Once fully completed, the $2.7 million center will become a national landmark, the nation’s primary facility to educate the public about Chávez’s values and methods of nonviolence and social change. The center will also contain archives, a museum and a conference facility.
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