44TH LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - FIRST SESSION, 1999

REQUESTING SUPPORT FOR A NATIONAL AND STATE HOLIDAY TO COMMEMORATE THE BIRTHDAY AND LIFE OF CESAR E. CHAVEZ.

WHEREAS, Cesar E. Chavez was born March 31, 1927 on a small farm near Yuma, Arizona and died on April 23, 1993; and

WHEREAS, as early as 1949, Cesar E. Chavez committed himself to organizing farm workers to campaign for safe and fair working conditions, reasonable wages and decent housing and to outlaw the use of child labor; and

WHEREAS, in 1962, Cesar E. Chavez founded the united farm workers of America, AFL-CIO, which brought the hope to farm workers that they might one day be provided the basic protections and workers' rights afforded to other Americans; and

WHEREAS, through his commitment to nonviolence, Cesar E. Chavez brought dignity and respect to the farm workers who organized themselves and became an inspiration and a resource to others engaged in human rights struggles throughout the world; and

WHEREAS, Cesar E. Chavez was a recipient of the Martin Luther King, Jr. peace prize during his lifetime and was awarded the presidential medal of freedom on August 8, 1994; and

WHEREAS, Cesar E. Chavez and his family dedicated themselves to the education of farm workers' children through migrant schools; and

WHEREAS, the legacy of Cesar E. Chavez includes healthy working conditions that yield uncontaminated food for America's tables and the enforcement of employer sanctions for hiring illegal undocumented workers; and

WHEREAS, Cesar E. Chavez' influence extends far beyond agriculture and provides inspiration for those working to better human rights through his example of organizing voter registration drives in urban and farm areas, initiating complaints against mistreatment by the police and empowering workers to seek advancement in education and politics;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the birthday and life of Cesar E. Chavez be commemorated by establishing a state and federal holiday in his honor; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the governor and to the members of the New Mexico congressional delegation.