Porterville College's Cultural and Historical Awareness Program, CHAP, honored the life and legacy of Cesar Chavez on Thursday, with guest speakers Andres Chavez, Cesar’s grandson, and Reyna Rodriguez, public relations specialist from Proteus Inc.
The Cesar Chavez Legacy Continues, was created in partnership between The Porterville College Dreamer's Success Center, the Cesar Chavez Foundation, and O.L.A. RAZA, Inc.
Both Chavez and Rodriguez gave inspiring and impassioned presentations to the large group of 60 or more students, community members, PC faculty and administrators.
Chavez began his presentation with the “Farm Workers Clap” leading the audience clapping faster and faster. He spoke about his grandfather’s life and legacy, calling him “Tata.” He acknowledged Roberto De La Rosa and his family, and other members of the community involved in the presentation.
He said as of 2021, 45 million people quit their jobs, many young people. Some of their reasons were because of low pay, not enough opportunity for advancement, and feeling disrespected. It’s called the “Great Resignation,” he said.
60 years ago, on March 31, 1962, Chavez said his grandfather quit the best paying job he ever had working for the Community Service Organization, because he had to help the migrant farm workers improve their lives and situations.
He had learned the power of community organization working with Father Donald McDonnell and Fred Ross, and they worked to help better the lives of people in the Chicano community in the 1950’s. Cesar worked full time to organize with the Community Service Organization which was the largest and most effective Latino civil rights group at that time.
The conditions for farm workers were horrific in the 50’s, and earlier, with no protection from the elements, low pay, no breaks for water or rest, sexual harassment, and unabated use of pesticides. And the list goes on.
Everyone who picked food for the world lived in those conditions.
With Dolores Huerta, Gilbert Padilla, and Helen Chavez and others Cesar founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA).
On September 16, 1965 the NFWA and the Filipino workers of the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC) merged into a multi-cultural movement in America.
Cesar spoke about his work in a historical perspective, said his grandson, and even with Hispanics fighting for their dignity, he said his grandfather said, “if it can happen in the fields, it can happen anywhere.”
Cesar helped people do extraordinary things, he helped people rise up out of the fields, and with education, pursue their dreams, his grandson said.
He spoke about a nurse who became a doctor, and Nino Marcos Camacho who became a Superior Court Judge. And a teacher's aide who became an assistant superintendent.
He said his grandfather had more faith in people than they had in themselves. He his grandfather said with a little bit of hard work and determination you can do anything.
“You only lose when you stop fighting.” That’s why the rally cry is Si Se Puede, Andres said.
Maria Roman introduced De La Rosa who spoke about Si Se Puede, and said it’s not just a slogan but a call to yourself, “I can do it.”
De La Rosa spoke about how proud he was when he graduated from PC in 1972, and acknowledged the MECHA organization.
Guest speaker Reyna Rodriguez spoke about growing up in the Central Valley in Ivanhoe, and how her parents moved to the USA from Michoacan when she was 3 years old. They were undocumented immigrants. Luckily the principal at the school and his family were kind and helped integrate her and her family into the community and school and she had to learn English using a dictionary when she was in elementary school, she said.
Rodriguez spoke about the difficulties of being an undocumented immigrant, how she and her family had no mobility, they couldn’t return to Mexico to see their relatives, and how she was not encouraged to follow her dreams because of being an uneducated and undocumented immigrant.
While she was working in the fields when she was older, an educated man from Mexico who was also working in the fields, said, “If only I spoke English,” and Rodriguez began thinking, she said.
Later when she ate, she began to write what she could do and what she was good at on a soiled napkin. “Friendly, she liked people” she wrote out a business plan.
She wrote about her personality, and she bought old college books to read and learn. She realized she could be a translator.
She graduated from PC and in 2007 she established her own business Linguistica, an interpreting and translation service.
She encouraged all the students and said, “You have a great opportunity here, and education is not a barrier. When I started dreaming beyond myself, my dreams became so much bigger. Become a big brother, a big sister.”
Her big sister helped mentor and empower her, and followed her throughout her life, and whenever she needed support, she had someone to trust and turn to, Rodriguez said.
Her biggest goal is to encourage DACA recipients, “Dreamer,” said Rodriguez. “We can achieve our goals and improve our status. DACA does not define our future,” she said.
Andres Chavez is the executive director of the National Chavez Center and leads the arm of the Cesar Chavez Foundation that educates and promotes the legacy of his grandfather across the nation. Their mission is to carry on Cesar’s life’s work of uplifting the lives of Latinos and working families by inspiring and transforming communities through social enterprises that address essential human, cultural and community needs.
