Campus
to Present Monthlong César E. Chávez
Celebration
By Jan Jennings | March 13, 2006
March 2006 marks the 40th anniversary of César
Chavez’s historic 340-mile pilgrimage from his
home in Delano, Calif., to the steps of the state
capitol in Sacramento to draw national attention to
the struggles and conditions of farm workers. Chávez
would have celebrated his 79th birthday March 31.
The life and accomplishments of Chávez, labor
leader and champion of human rights, will be observed
with a monthlong series of diverse activities beginning
April 6 and continuing through May 10 at UCSD. All
events are free and open to the public unless otherwise
noted.
During Chávez’s 1966 pilgrimage/march
and after a four-month boycott, growers negotiated
an agreement with National Farm Workers Association
(NFWA), which was the first genuine union contract
between a grower and farm workers in U.S. history.
That summer, the NFWA and the Filipino American members
of the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC)
merged to form the United Farm Workers of America,
AFL-CIO (UFW).
The principal figure in the Chicano Civil Rights
Movement, Chávez was a leader in the struggle
for working families and an advocate for non-violent
solutions and dignity and respect for all. He died
in 1993. The essence of his legacy will be the focus
of a kickoff luncheon at UCSD honoring activist Herman
Baca and a discussion on border health issues, and
later plays, performances, films, a cultural celebration,
and a youth essay contest.
The annual César E. Chávez Celebration
Kickoff Luncheon will begin at noon April 6 at the
International Center and will feature comments by
Chancellor Marye Anne Fox and an award presentation
to activist Herman Baca, who worked closely with Chávez,
as well as other Chicano leaders including Bert Corona
and Reies Tijerina.
Baca’s organization, Committee on Chicano Rights,
has been a strong community presence in National City
since the 1970s. The UCSD Mandeville Special Collections
Library has recently acquired Baca’s Chicano
Civil Rights archive which is now available for research
by scholars and students of Mexican American social
movements.
Also on April 6, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Jack Farris
Student Lounge at the School of Medicine, a discussion
on Border Health Issues and Physician Training will
be led by Dr. Marianne McKennett, program director,
Scripps Family Medicine Residency and UCSD clinical
professor of Family and Preventive Medicine. Residency
graduates will participate. Discussion will focus
on experiences working with underserved populations.
On April 10, the UCSD student Chicano organization,
Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA),
and the UCSD student Pilipino organization, Kaibigang
Pilipino (KP), will present Los Vendidos, a one-act
play by El Teatro Campesino, the cultural arm of Chávez’s
United Farm Workers union. Los Vendidos tells the
story of how young Mexican Americans face the pressure
of assimilation and cultural loss.
Following the 5 p.m. performance, there will be a
discussion on historical coalitions of Mexican and
Pilipino farm workers led by Anthony Valladolid, interim
director of Student Policies and Judicial Affairs,
and Nancy Magpusao, programmer/fiscal coordinator
for the Cross Cultural Center.
The Los Angeles-based performance group, Chicano
Secret Service, will present their new satire, Preemptive
Strike (On the Barrio Streets of your Mind),
at 7 p.m. April 12 in the Visual Arts Building Performance
Space.
Using spoken word, parody, and sketch comedy, the
group addresses the news of the day and the situation
for Latinos at the beginning of the 21st Century.
The Los Angeles Times calls the satire “edgy,
topical. A must see.”
Two UCSD students will be presented scholarships
from the UCSD Chicano/Latino Alumni Association at
7 p.m. April 26 in the Price Center Theatre, followed
by the performance of Heroes and Legends by
Teatro de la Tierra.
Sponsored by the Helen Edison Lecture Series at UCSD,
Heroes and Legends will be performed by Agustín
Lira, a founding member of the Teatro Campesino, and
Patricia Wells Solorzano. Through music and poetry,
the performers evoke memories of leading figures in
Mexican American and Mexican history who have fought
for social justice. In addition to Chávez,
these include revolutionary Emiliano Zapata, union
activist Emma Tenayuca, and civil rights leader Rodolfo
Corky Gonzales.
The just released HBO film, Walkout, will
be screened at 7 p.m. May 10 in Center Hall, Room
105. Directed by Edward James Almos, "Walkout"
tells the story of Chicano/Chicana students in Los
Angeles during the late 1960s who led a movement for
school reform and improved educational opportunities.
High school teacher Sal Castro, who supported the
students and risked his career on their behalf, will
participate in a discussion and question/answer period
following the screening.
Other activities in the monthlong salute to César
E. Chávez include:
- The 8th annual César E. Chávez
Commemoration Community Breakfast, 7:30 a.m., March
27, San Diego Convention Center. The event will
honor high school essay contest winners from San
Diego, Imperial, and Orange counties.
- The 28th annual Thurgood Marshall College Cultural
Celebration will be featured at the college all
day, April 8, and will include music, dance, food
and art from around the world.
- The Lives of Mexican Immigrants in Silicon Valley,
a presentation by Christian Zlolniski, assistant
professor in anthropology and in the Center for
Mexican American Studies, University of Texas, Arlington,
3 p.m. April 18, Cross-Cultural Center. Zlolniski
is the author of Janitors, Street Vendors, and Activists
(2006), a study of Mexican immigrants employed in
Silicon Valley's low-wage jobs.
- Tijuana Jews, a documentary film exploring
a community that blended Jewish and Mexican cultures,
6:30 p.m. May 3, Copley Auditorium, Institute of
the Americas. Film director Isaac Artenstein, UCSD
visiting professor in Visual Arts, will be available
for comment.
Jorge Mariscal, director of the UCSD Chicana/o-Latina/o
Arts and Humanities Program, and community representative
Olivia Puentes Reynolds are co-chairing the César
E. Chávez Celebration Planning Committee. For
more information call (858) 534-0236 or (858) 822-4059.
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