President Obama will travel to Keene, California on October 8th to announce the establishment of the César Chávez National Monument on the property known as Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz.
The location chosen is recognized worldwide for its historic link to civil rights leader César Chávez and the farm worker movement, and it is also the national headquarters of the United Farm Workers (UFW).
“César Chávez gave a voice to poor and disenfranchised workers everywhere,” said President Obama. “La Paz was at the center of some of the most significant civil rights moments in our nation’s history, and by designating it a national monument, Chávez’s legacy will be preserved and shared to inspire generations to come.”
Years in the making, the monument was designated under the Antiquities Act, and will include a Visitors’ Center containing César Chávez’s office, UFW legal aid offices, the home of César and Helen Chávez, the Chávez Memorial Garden with his grave site, and additional buildings and structures at La Paz campus.
Chávez was head of the UFW and staged boycotts to raise awareness of the plight of predominately Latino farm workers. His efforts were credited with inspiring millions of Latinos in the fight for more educational opportunities, better housing and more political power.
“Even though Cesar Chavez dedicated his life to the farm workers, his legacy, reflected at La Paz where he spent his last quarter century, transcended farm labor and even Latinos because it became a universal message of hope, empowerment and social justice,” said Arturo Rodriguez, President of UFW.
[…] This article originally appeared on Latinovations. […]