Proclamation honors labor leader Cesar Chavez

Pinal County’s Board of Supervisors and the county attorney earlier this month honored the life and works of Cesar Chavez in the form of a proclamation for the late migrant labor leader.

“You will see a man who was recognized on both sides of the border,” County Attorney James P. Walsh said. “Chavez was presented the Aguila Azteca (The Aztec Eagle), Mexico’s highest honor to people of Mexican heritage who have made major contributions outside of Mexico. He was also posthumously presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton in 1994.”

Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, David Snider, said Chavez’s leadership provided a better life for many who provided food and services for many Americans.

“When you examine the life of Cesar Chavez,” Chairman Snider said, “you see a man who never went to high school and yet led a movement that brought better wages and living conditions as well as hope and inspiration to millions of people throughout the country and around the world. It is simply extraordinary.”

District 1 Supervisor Pete Rios said his introduction to politics was in part due to Chavez.

“My first political work was passing around a petition in honor of Cesar Chavez,” Supervisor Rios said. “I was pleased to have worked for him then, and I am equally pleased to be passing this proclamation for him now. It is indeed an honor, one that I do not take lightly.”

Bryan Martyn, District 2 Supervisor, said few Arizonans know about Chavez’s military service.

“Here is a man who served our country honorably during World War II in the Navy,” Supervisor Martyn said. “And yet he was inspired by the teachings of people like Martin Luther King and Gandhi with non-violent protests. He carried that message to the farm workers he led.”

Cesar E. Chavez was born March 31, 1927, on a small farm near Yuma, Arizona. He died April 23, 1993. The founder of the United Farm Workers of American and a tireless advocate for justice and equality, it was Chavez who said, “If you are outraged at conditions, then you can’t possibly be free or happy until you devote all your time to changing them.”

File photo