Months before his death in 1993, legendary union leader Cesar Chavez took part in a picket in Las Vegas to support frontier workers in what would eventually become one of the longest strikes in U.S. history.
In one photo, he is seen marching with a picket sign next to a smiling Geoconda Argüello-Kline, former treasurer of Culinary Local 226.
According to a state law, March 31, César Chavez’s birthday, is declared “César Chavez Day” each year by the governor.
And now the civil rights hero is being memorialized with a bust by the artist Guillermo Salazar González and exhibited in Las Vegas.
The sculpture, which depicts Chavez from the chest up, was unveiled earlier this month at the Chicanos Por La Causa headquarters in Las Vegas.
“The artwork is a tribute and celebration of the legacy of a man who fought for the rights and well-being of hundreds of thousands of farmworkers across the United States for over thirty years,” wrote the event’s organizers.
Serafin Calvo, the organization’s director of human resources and community development, added, “We are very honored to have them. Cesar Chavez’s plight has a lot to offer and reflects the mission of Chicano Por La Causa.”
“Hardens and injustices”
A biography by the Chavez Foundation outlines the life and legacy of the civil rights activist.
Chavez was born near Yuma, Arizona, in 1927. After the Great Depression wiped out his family farm in his youth, Chavez became a farm laborer.
He began organizing after experiencing “hardships and injustices” while working in the fields of California.
Chavez later founded the United Farm Workers of America union.
He rejected higher salaries and prominent positions and “led a life of voluntary poverty, as did other movement leaders and associates until the late 1990s,” his biography states. “He never earned more than $6,000 a year, never owned a home, and when he died in 1993 at age 66, he left his family no money.”
Chavez’s movement carried out nonviolent protests, which included hunger strikes – Chavez’s longest hunger strike ended after 36 days.
The efforts led to changes in the law. According to his biography, Chavez was once described by former Senator Robert F. Kennedy as “one of the heroic figures of our time.”
Chicanos for the Cause
Chicanos Por La Causa was founded in 1969 by student activists with the goal of addressing issues within Mexican-descended communities in Phoenix.
The organization expanded to New Mexico and Nevada in 2010. Its location at 555 N. Maryland Parkway offers bilingual programs in education, health and human services, housing and economic development.
His doors are open to everyone, Calvo said.
“CPLC Nevada believes in the mission of building stronger, healthier communities by giving people the political and economic empowerment to learn the skills and develop the resources necessary to become self-sufficient and by offering them a helping hand instead of a handout,” the nonprofit said.
Salazar González, a Mexican sculptor with half a century of experience whose bronze pieces can be found all over the world, attended the unveiling.
“Chicanos Por La Causa was driven by the same passion and dedication that Cesar Chavez embodied, making it a worthy recipient of this powerful symbol of unity and empowerment,” event organizers said.
Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at [email protected].
