Did you miss the Cesar Chavez annual march this past weekend like I did?? (I usually go but had a conflict in my schedule) No worries, very active reader Dan went and was able to document some of the highlights for us.
Texas has never been a worker focused state and Laredo has never been a hotbed of activism, but it is refreshing to see that the memory of Cesar Chavez is being honored. In past years, it has been a handful of people who go, this year the marchers have increased to about 150.
Dan reminds us about the upcoming march (your chance to actively support education):
in fact, a march and rally to support teachers and education is scheduled to be held next saturday starting around 8am marching from the laredo library on calton/mcpherson to the blas castaneda park on mcpherson. for more info about that rally people can contact the president of the Laredo Teachers Association at 956-740-2101 or rdlv1@hotmail.com
Even politicians came out to honor the legacy of Cesar Chavez.
Mayor Salinas, Councilmember Rendon, and County Judge Valdez
Reader Dan was impressed with local poet, Jesse G. Herrera. Mr. Herrera has been active with Laredo’s poetry scene since he started taking creative writing classes at LCC and honing his skills in front of audiences at Cafe del Barrio. He shared his poem The Day Cesar Chavez Died that was captured on video by Dan.
If you were wondering what the lyrics said, Mr. Herrera sent them to Mr. Monahan who shared them for this post:
The day Cesar Chavez died,
the sun rose de colores,
la flor del nopal brotó
en oro por todo Atzlan y
La Virgen whispered, “Vaya con Dios,”Si Se Puede!
El dia que murió Cesar Chavez,
his feet were bare, his head
was turned to the left side,
his glasses were on, he held
a book of native Americans
in his right hand and he was wearing
the same clothes he had on the day before.Si Se Puede!
The day Cesar Chavez died,
la cebolla lloró.
The cyclops BCI ate lettuce and crawled to Church.
La águila de la bandera colorada cantó,
“Que sigua La Lucha, que
todos los pasos sean para delante.”Si Se Puede!
El dia que murió Cesar Chavez,
el conjunto de Ghandi, Bobby, y Martin Luther
toco una polka. The winds of change danced
with Cesar’s Love Force.Si Se Puede!
The day Cesar Chavez died,
the salmon kept swimming up stream,
the drum kept beating, las uvas
cambiaron a vino y el sol
bajo De Colores.Si Se Puede!
Marzo 31, 2002
Jesse G. Herrera
If you still want to participate in Cesar Chavez celebrations, NBC Affiliate KGNS shared this info:
Laredo Community College will honor the memory of the late Cesar Chavez on his birthday, March 31. The event starts at 9:30 A.M. this Thursday, at the Kazen Center. The civil rights activist was the first Latino to receive the Freedom’s Achievement Award. Former President Bill Clinton presented him the honor. The main speaker at the event will be Judge Diana Saldana.
Admission is free but seating is limited. For more information call 956-508-9255.
Thank you, Dan Monahan!!
Que Fregados 
Nice !