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Cesar E. Chavez National Holiday ~~ repost



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About Cesar E. Chavez National Holiday

About Cesar E. Chavez

About the Holiday

Get Involved

Sign The Petition

Join March 31, 2008 Actions

Links

Contact Us

 
Does Your State Participate?Tell us what is going on in your city/state to honor Cesar Chavez? Click Here

Make a DonationMake check out to: Cesar E. Chavez
National HolidaySend to: Cesar E. Chavez National Holiday 3325 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 1208 Los Angeles, CA 90010

About Cesar E. Chavez National Holiday

Cesar E. Chavez National Holiday was established by Los Angeles volunteers who organized and led the effort in California that won Cesar Chavez Day, the first legal state holiday and day of service and learning in honor of farm worker leader Cesar E. Chavez.  The legal holiday bill introduced by then State Senator Richard Polanco (Los Angeles-D) was signed into law by then Governor Gray Davis (D) on August 18, 2000. The holiday is celebrated in California on Cesar E. Chavez’s birthday March 31st.  This marked the first time that a labor leader or Latino has been honored with a public legal holiday.

The California legal holiday set into motion a wave of initiatives resulting in optional and commemorative Cesar Chavez Days in nine additional states (Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin and Rhode Island.)

Cesar Chavez Day brings together hundreds of thousands who engage in celebrations, service and learning projects, and other actions that further the many causes which Cesar Chavez worked for.

The mission of Cesar E. Chavez National Holiday, a public benefit organization, is to work for national recognition of Cesar E. Chavez on his birthday March 31.  We are forming national, state and local coalitions; organizing volunteer committees; and providing education about the value to our nation of honoring Cesar E. Chavez.

Our Vision

Cesar Chavez gave our nation and each of us a unique example to live our lives by.  His selfless dedication for farm worker and worker rights, economic justice, civil rights, environmental justice, peace, nonviolence, empowerment of the poor and disenfranchised, is a monumental legacy that will inspire all and the generations to come. The winning of national recognition for Cesar Chavez with holidays, service, learning and community action events, is a fitting tribute and significant way to share his life’s work as the founder and leader of the United Farm Workers of America (UFW).

What is most important is that remembering and honoring Cesar Chavez inspires more people to become involved in the causes that continue Cesar Chavez’s extraordinary legacy.

Advisory Council

Cesar E. Chavez National Holiday extends our profound thanks to our advisors for their assistance that sheds light on our journey.

  • Jerry Acosta, Western Regional Director AFL-CIO
  • Richard Alarcon, Los Angeles City Council Member, former CA State Senator
  • Magdalena Beltran-del Olmo, Vice President of Communications, Wellness Foundation
  • Antonio Gonzalez, President, Southwest Voter Registration Education Project (SWVREP) & William C. Velasquez Institute (WCVI)
  • Michael Jensen, Jensen Communications
  • State Senator Richard Polanco (Ret.), Chairman, California Latino Caucus Institute &author of the California holiday bill for Cesar Chavez
  • Ken Riley, Vice President, International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), Vice Pres.South Carolina AFL-CIO & President ILA Local 1422 (Charleston)
  • Ken Johnson, Southern Regional Director, AFL-CIO

Partners and Founding Sponsors

Cesar E. Chavez National Holiday wishes to thank our partners and founding sponsor organizations and individuals whose support insures our journey.

Partners

Founding Sponsors

  • International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) AFL-CIO
  • International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) Coast Committee
  • Utility Workers Union of America AFL-CIO Local 132
  • Service Employees International Union Local 535 (CA)
  • Labor Council for Latin American Advancement
  • Los Angeles City Employees Chicano Association (LACECA)
  • Royce Adams
  • Evelina Alarcon
  • Hernando Martinez
  • Dan Nemmers, Web design and development
  • Manny Rico
  • Gary Ruffner, Natl. Secretary Treasurer, UWUA

If you would like to become a partner or founding sponsor, please contact: Executive Director, Evelina Alarcon: EvelinaAlarcon@cesarchavezholiday.org

Endorsers of a Cesar E. Chavez National Holiday (Partial List)

  • AFL-CIO
  • NAACP
  • National Council of La Raza (NCLR)
  • League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
  • National Latino Congreso
  • National Education Association (NEA)
  • Sierra Club
  • American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
  • Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
  • Communication Workers of America (CWA)
  • Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA)
  • United Farm Workers of America (UFW)
  • Farm Labor Organizing Committee AFL-CIO (FLOC)
  • Los Angeles City Council
  • Philadelphia City Council
  • Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles
  • Los Angeles County Federation of Labor (CA)
  • San Francisco Central Labor Council (CA)
  • King County Central Labor Council (WA)
  • Cesar E. Chavez Foundation
  • Dolores Huerta Foundation
  • US Senator John Edwards
  • Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
  • Pastor Warren Stewart, led state holiday effort for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Arizona
  • Carlos Santana
  • Actors– Edward James Olmos, Martin Sheen, George Lopez, Mike Farrell, Ed Begley Jr., Lupe Ontiveros, Esai Morales
  • Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU)
  • Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW)
  • Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA)
  • Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA)
  • Pride At Work
  • and many more!

Photos of Cesar Chavez Our sincere thanks to Oscar Castillo and Bob Fitch for the use of their photos of Cesar Chavez

If you would like to become an Endorser, contact Exec. Director Evelina Alarcon at: EvelinaAlarcon@cesarchavezholiday.org

 

History~ the month of March


 

The History Place - This Month in History

March 1

1781 – Formal ratification of the Articles of Confederation was announced by Congress. Under the Articles, Congress was the sole governing body of the new American national government, consisting of the 13 original states. The Articles remained in effect through the Revolutionary War until 1789, when the current U.S. Constitution was adopted.

March 30

1855 – About 5,000 “Border Ruffians” from western Missouri invaded the territory of Kansas and forced the election of a pro-slavery legislature. It was the first election in Kansas.

1958 – The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater gave its initial performance.

 1981 – Newly elected President Ronald Reagan was shot in the chest while walking toward his limousine in Washington, D.C., following a speech inside a hotel. The president was then rushed into surgery to remove a 22-caliber bullet from his left lung. “I should have ducked,” Reagan joked. Three others were also hit including Reagan’s Press Secretary, James Brady, who was shot in the forehead but survived. The president soon recovered from the surgery and returned to his duties.

1909 – In Oklahoma, Seminole Indians revolted against meager pay for government jobs.

1939 – The comic book “Detective Comics #27” appeared on newstands. This comic introduced Batman.

1981 – U.S. President Ronald Reagan was shot and wounded in Washington, DC, by John W. Hinckley Jr. Two police officers and Press Secretary James Brady were also wounded.

Birthday – Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) was born in Groot Zundert, Holland. He was a Postimpressionist painter, generally considered the greatest Dutch painter after Rembrandt. During his short (10-year) painting career he produced over 800 oil paintings and 700 drawings, but sold only one during his lifetime. In 1987, the sale of his painting Irises brought $53.9 million, the highest price ever paid for a work of art up to that time. During his life, Van Gogh suffered from despair and bouts of mental illness, at one point cutting off part of his own left ear. He committed suicide in 1890 by gunshot.

March 31

1945 – “The Glass Menagerie” by Tennessee Williams opened on Broadway.

1776 – Abigail Adams wrote to her husband John that women were “determined to foment a rebellion” if the new Declaration of Independence failed to guarantee their rights.

 1933 – The Civilian Conservation Corps, the CCC, was founded. Unemployed men and youths were organized into quasi-military formations and worked outdoors in national parks and forests.

 1968 – President Lyndon Johnson made a surprise announcement that he would not seek re-election as a result of the Vietnam conflict.

1885 – Binney & Smith Company was founded in New York City. The company later became Crayola, LLC.

1889 – In Paris, the Eiffel Tower officially opened.

1870 – In Perth Amboy, NJ, Thomas Munday Peterson became the first black to vote in the U.S.

1902 – In Tennessee, 22 coal miners were killed by an explosion.

1904 – In India, hundreds of Tibetans were slaughtered by the British.

1908 – 250,000 coal miners in Indianapolis, IN, went on strike to await a wage adjustment.

1900 – In France, the National Assembly passed a law reducing the workday for women and children to 11 hours.

 1991 – The Soviet Republic of Georgia, birthplace of Josef Stalin, voted to declare its independence from Soviet Russia, after similar votes by Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia. Following the vote in Georgia, Russian troops were dispatched from Moscow under a state of emergency.

Birthday – Boxing champion Jack Johnson (1878-1946) was born in Galveston, Texas. He was the first African American to win the heavyweight boxing title.

(Photo and picture credits: Library of Congress and U.S. National Archives)

1855 – Violence disrupts first Kansas election


In territorial Kansas’ first election, some 5,000 so-called “Border Ruffians” invade the territory from western Missouri and forced the election of a pro-slavery legislature. Although the number of votes cast exceeded the number of eligible voters in the territory, Kansas Governor …read more

on this day … 3/30


1533 – Henry VIII divorced his first wife, Catherine of Aragon.

1814 – The allied European nations against Napoleon marched into Paris.

1822 – Florida became a U.S. territory.

1842 – Dr. Crawford W. Long performed the first operation while his patient was anesthetized by ether.

1855 – About 5,000 “Border Ruffians” from western Missouri invaded the territory of Kansas and forced the election of a pro-slavery legislature. It was the first election in Kansas.

1858 – Hyman L. Lipman of Philadelphia patented the pencil.

1867 – The U.S. purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million dollars.

1870 – The 15th amendment, guaranteeing the right to vote regardless of race, was passed by the U.S. Congress.

1870 – Texas was readmitted to the Union.

1903 – Revolutionary activity in the Dominican Republic brought U.S. troops to Santo Domingo to protect American interests.

1905 – U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt was chosen to mediate in the Russo-Japanese peace talks.

1909 – The Queensboro bridge in New York opened linking Manhattan and Queens. It was the first double decker bridge.

1909 – In Oklahoma, Seminole Indians revolted against meager pay for government jobs.

1916 – Pancho Villa killed 172 at the Guerrero garrison in Mexico.

1936 – Britain announced a naval construction program of 38 warships.

1939 – The comic book “Detective Comics #27” appeared on newstands. This comic introduced Batman.

1940 – The Japanese set up a puppet government called Manchuko in Nanking, China.

1941 – The German Afrika Korps under General Erwin Rommel began its first offensive against British forces in Libya.

1944 – The U.S. fleet attacked Palau, near the Philippines.

1945 – The U.S.S.R. invaded Austria during World War II.

1946 – The Allies seized 1,000 Nazis attempting to revive the Nazi party in Frankfurt.

1947 – Lord Mountbatten arrived in India as the new Viceroy.

1950 – The invention of the phototransistor was announced.

1950 – U.S. President Truman denounced Senator Joe McCarthy as a saboteur of U.S. foreign policy.

1957 – Tunisia and Morocco signed a friendship treaty in Rabat.

1958 – The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater gave its initial performance.

1964 – “Jeopardy” debuted on NBC-TV.

1964 – John Glenn withdrew from the Ohio race for U.S. Senate because of injuries suffered in a fall.

1970 – “Applause” opened on Broadway.

1970 – “Another World – Somerset” debuted on NBC-TV.

1972 – The British government assumed direct rule over Northern Ireland.

1972 – The Eastertide Offensive began when North Vietnamese troops crossed into the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in the northern portion of South Vietnam.

1975 – As the North Vietnamese forces moved toward Saigon South Vietnamese soldiers mob rescue jets in desperation.

1981 – U.S. President Ronald Reagan was shot and wounded in Washington, DC, by John W. Hinckley Jr. Two police officers and Press Secretary James Brady were also wounded.

1982 – The space shuttle Columbia completed its third and its longest test flight after 8 days in space.

1984 – The U.S. ended its participation in the multinational peace force in Lebanon.

1987 – Vincent Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” was bought for $39.85 million.

1993 – In Sarajevo, two Serb militiamen were sentenced to death for war crimes committed in Bosnia.

1993 – In the Peanuts comic strip, Charlie Brown hit his first home run.

1994 – Serbs and Croats signed a cease-fire to end their war in Croatia while Bosnian Muslims and Serbs continued to fight each other.

1998 – Rolls-Royce was purchased by BMW in a $570 million deal.

2002 – An unmanned U.S. spy plan crashed at sea in the Southern Philippines.

2002 – Suspected Islamic militants set off several grenades at a temple in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Four civilians, four policemen and two attackers were killed and 20 people were injured.

2009 – The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey confirmed that the new World Trade Center building would be officially known by its legal name of “One World Trade Center.”