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Breakfast honors legacy of Cesar Chavez
Events to recognize civil rights leader
By Hiram Soto
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO – When organizers put together the first Cesar E.
Chavez commemorative breakfast, about 90 people showed up. Yesterday,
the 10th annual breakfast at the San Diego Convention Center drew 1,500
guests.
“It's a great accomplishment, but our goal is not just in the numbers,”
said Guadalupe Corona, one of the organizers. “Our goal is to be able to
educate through the breakfast the values and the legacy that Cesar
Chavez left us.”
This year that job fell to several people rather than one keynote
speaker.
Human-rights activist Andrea Guerrero of the American Civil Liberties
Union talked about the value of “acceptance of all people” and how the
county needs to do a better job offering information in languages other
than English during emergencies such as the October wildfires.
Educator Maria Chavez's topic was “celebrating community.” She spoke of
the success of the countywide migrant education program she leads, which
helps farmworkers and their children achieve their education goals.
Estela de los Rios of the Center for Social Advocacy talked about the
need for minorities to register to vote, while San Diego District
Attorney Oscar Garcia, who heads the hate crimes unit and the Regional
Hate Crimes Coalition, spoke about tolerance.
“Every year we hold educational contests with schools throughout the
county where we ask students to present programs to us which embrace
some of Cesar Chavez key principles; education, nonviolence, tolerance
and diversity,” he said.
Chavez fought on behalf of farmworkers until his death in 1993. He
co-founded the United Farm Workers and negotiated the first industrywide
farm labor contracts.
California will honor the late civil rights leader on Monday with a
state holiday, and organizers continue to push for a national holiday.
“This is a 'Sí, se puede' (yes we can) movement to honor one of the most
important civil rights leader of the 20th century,” said Evelina Alarcon
of the Cesar E. Chavez National Holiday Foundation.
Alarcon said 13 states have set aside days honoring Chavez.
Related activities are planned this weekend, including a parade starting
at 10 a.m. tomorrow at 28th Street and Ocean View Boulevard. A Mass is
planned for 6 p.m. Sunday at Our Lady of Guadalupe church in Barrio
Logan.
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