César Chávez Day

In honor of César Chávez Day, President Barack Obama issued a proclamation to recognize the life and legacy of the prominent civil rights and labor leader, César Estrada Chávez. Throughout his life, César Chávez fought alongside farm workers to improve their living and working conditions and to demand they were treated with the dignity and respect they deserved.  As a result, he inspired an entire movement and a new generation of organizers that are continuing to bring about change across our country. 

As the President said, “Today, we honor César Chávez by continuing to fight for what he believed in, including a living wage for workers and their right to unionize and provide for their family. Workers should have a safe workplace and the comfort of knowing that if they work hard, they can feed their family, earn decent benefits, and gain the skills they need to move up and get ahead. We will also keep up our efforts to reform our Nation's broken immigration system so more people can contribute to our country's success. And as we strive for well-deserved policies for America's workers, like a higher minimum wage and paid leave, we are reminded that the movement César Chávez led was sustained by a generation of organizers who spoke out and fought for a better, fairer America -- and it is now upon us to do the same in our time.”

As a community organizer, César Chávez believed that public service and service to others was a calling, a mission, and a way of life -- not merely an occupation or an occasional act of charity. He reminded us that “once social change begins, it cannot be reversed” and that each and every person has the ability to be that change.  

In honor of his legacy, we invite you to join in service activities on César Chávez Day.  Click here to learn about activities in your community.