Victory! University of Texas-El Paso Reinstates Cesar Chavez Day!

by Gabriela Garcia • February 09, 2011

• In Texas, a state where elementary and middle school students can no longer learn about civil and workers rights leader Cesar Chavez in official textbooks, there is some positive news amidst that maddening reality. Namely, that social justice leaders and university student groups are refusing to let awareness of Chavez's legacy fall by the wayside. If states want to ban ethnic studies, Chavez's close ally Dolores Huerta told AlterNet earlier this year, we'll just have to start “freedom schools” to pass the knowledge on.


• And when University of Texas-El Paso decided to abruptly ban Cesar Chavez Day as an official holiday, Students for Cesar Chavez, a coalition formed by students at the university, called for an immediate reinstatement of the day of remembrance. More than 7,000 people, including 134 Change.org members, signed a petition launched on the students' behalf by Chavez's United Farm Workers. The outrage also pushed a major donor to withdraw his support from the university, while student leaders and community activists rallied on the ground. The pressure worked.

• KFOX TV reports that the UTEP faculty senate held a vote and decided to reinstate March 31 as Cesar Chavez Day. It will rejoin other officially observed days such as Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents' Day.

• "The students' determination and refusal to give up ― and the response from thousands of farm worker supporters ― are the best evidence that Cesar's legacy is alive and thriving nearly 18 years after his passing," UFW president Arturo S. Rodriguez wrote in a statement. As Chavez would say, sí se puede.

• Photo Credit: Troy Holden

• Gabriela Garcia is a freelance writer who has written for Latina, the Miami New Times, National Geographic Traveler blog, and Matador Network blogs, amongst other publications.

Story from change.org