A big appetite for Breakthrough Project's Chavez Scholarship Dinner
Mar. 13—A local nonprofit's annual dinner has grown so popular over the years that it is moving to a new venue and awarding more scholarships to students.
The Breakthrough Project of Lodi is hosting its third Cesar Chavez Scholarship Dinner on Saturday, March 22 at 5:30 p.m at the Japanese Community Hall, 210 E. Elm St.
Event organizer Maria Elena Serna said the dinner was moved from its previous location — St. Paul's Lutheran Church — because there was not enough space in its dining hall.
"It started to get extremely crowded," she said. "The hall was great, it just wasn't accommodating. People were coming in at the last minute, even when no tickets were being sold, and they would have to stand. We decided we had to have a larger place."
Selecting the Japanese Community Hall for this year's dinner was symbolic in a way, she said, as it is in close proximity to Hale Park, which Cesar Chavez had visited in 1971.
This year's keynote speaker will be United Farm Workers President Teresa Romero, who Serna has known for about 20 years.
Romero is only the union's third president in its nearly six decades of history. She's also the first woman to lead the organization.
"We're thrilled to have her," Serna said. "She's the right person to be president because she's calm and a good listener. Teresa has really been at the forefront of so many things that the farm workers have been able to achieve. Her leadership has been really appreciated by the younger farmers."
Romero received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Joe Biden last year. Her honor follows in the footsteps of Chavez, who was awarded the medal posthumously in 1994.
This will not be her first visit to Lodi, as she and hundreds of UFW members stopped at Hale Park in 2022 during the annual March for Justice from Delano to Sacramento, Serna said.
In addition, to having the UFW president speak, the Breakthrough Project will also be awarding five scholarships to local high school students.
Three of the scholarships will be for $1,000 and the other two will be worth $500.
"It was really hard to decide (who to award)," Serna said. "They all had high GPAs. Cesar was a strong proponent of education. He didn't have a formal education, because he didn't have that opportunity. But he was a big proponent of it."
The evening will also include presentations from Joe Serna Charter School students, as well as Folklorico dancers and Mariachi performances.
Tickets are $40 for general admission, and sponsorships are available for $100 for one ticket or $500 for five tickets. You can also purchase a $1,000 sponsorship for 10 tickets and a table. For tickets or more information, call 209-329-8123 or email breakthroughprojectlodi@gmail.com.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
7 hours ago
- CNN
Gay rights icon Harvey Milk's legacy slighted by decision to rename Navy ship
American gay rights activist Harvey Milk was known for keeping his face and name on the front pages of San Francisco's newspapers. Now, as Pride Month begins, the Trump administration is set to take the almost unprecedented action of stripping his name from a Navy ship, a defense official told CNN. The order to rename the oiler ship USNS Harvey Milk – christened four years ago – is unusual but is in line with the White House mandate to reverse a number of military initiatives by Democratic presidents. The move also comes amid the administration's broader efforts to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in government and education, as well as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's promise to 'revive the warrior ethos' in the military. Milk was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. His legacy as one of the first openly gay politicians elected to office in the US – and the first openly gay official elected in California – was burnished in history with an Oscar-winning biopic performance from Sean Penn. Before Milk served as a supervisor in San Francisco, the politician followed in the footsteps of his parents and served in the Navy. His service as a stateside diving instructor during the Korean War was cut short after four years when his Navy supervisors caught him at a park popular for gay men and questioned him about his sexual orientation. Decades before the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy prohibited the military from actively investigating its members' sexuality, Milk was outed and forced to resign with an 'other than honorable discharge' and the rank of lieutenant junior grade. Gay service members were not allowed to serve openly in the US until 2011. Milk later set up shop in the Castro neighborhood in San Francisco – the country's most famous 'gayborhood' – where he helped start the Castro Village Association, one of the first predominantly LGBTQ-owned business groups in the country. In 1977, he was elected to San Francisco's Board of Supervisors after years running his political operation from his camera store in the Castro, where stacks of campaign posters competed for space with stacks of 35mm film. While serving as a city supervisor, Milk introduced legislation to protect the gay community, including a gay rights ordinance in 1978 to ban discrimination against LGBTQ people in housing or employment. He and other activists also succeeded in striking down Proposition 6, which would have mandated the firing of gay or lesbian teachers in California. Milk was a popular figure in San Francisco, but his actions were also controversial at times. Milk fervently encouraged gay people not to be secretive about their lives, even with hostile or unsupportive family members. 'We are coming out to tell the truths about gays, for I am tired of the conspiracy of silence, so I'm going to talk about it,' he said at a 1978 gay pride march. 'And I want you to talk about it.' Milk is believed to have been one of the people behind the forced media outing of Oliver Sipple, a friend and fellow veteran who was credited with saving the life of President Gerald Ford when he grabbed the arm of would-be assassin Sara Jane Moore just as she was firing her second shot in 1975. Milk's biographer Randy Shilts told The Washington Post the politician 'wanted Sipple's homosexuality made public' because it was an opportunity for the gay community to be seen in a positive light. 'For once we can show that gays do heroic things,' he told Shilts. Sipple, who had not come out to his parents and didn't want his sexuality revealed, unsuccessfully sued media organizations that reported on it, according to The Washington Post. Less than a year after Milk became a city supervisor, he and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone were shot to death in the San Francisco City Hall by former fellow city supervisor Dan White over a job dispute. Investigators determined that White was motivated by a political dispute rather than anti-gay animus. But a jury's decision to convict White of manslaughter rather than murder shocked the gay community and prompted rioting at City Hall, the San Francisco Examiner reported. White argued in the trial that he was not fully responsible for the killings because he was depressed and acted in 'the heat of passion.' White was sentenced to seven years in prison. Milk's legacy has never faded in San Francisco, where his bust now sits in City Hall and a school in the Castro is named after him. Milk, who told friends and loved ones he knew he was in danger of being assassinated, according to the Harvey Milk Foundation, hoped his death would inspire the cause he worked for. 'If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door,' Milk said in an audio message accompanying his will. The USNS Harvey Milk is part of a class of oilers that were designated to be named for 'people who fought for civil rights and human rights.' Some of those namesakes are people who never served in the military, including congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis and women's voting rights advocate Lucy Stone. The future of those other honors is unclear. A Navy webpage marking the beginning of construction on the USNS Thurgood Marshall has been deleted. Although much of the administration's LGBTQ rollback has been focused on the transgender community – the federal government even removed the 'T' from the abbreviation – it has also cracked down on affinity groups and barred the flying of the Pride flag at any US embassy or consulate. The administration also formally declined to recognize Pride Month, instead referring to June as 'Title IX Month,' referencing the civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools. The White House has cited the law in its ban on transgender women participating in women's sports. Despite the decision falling in line with White House policy, Rep. Nancy Pelosi – whose San Francisco district includes the Castro – said erasing Milk from the military is particularly insulting. 'Our military is the most powerful in the world – but this spiteful move does not strengthen our national security or the 'warrior' ethos,' Pelosi said in a statement.'Instead, it is a surrender of a fundamental American value: to honor the legacy of those who worked to build a better country.' CNN's Natasha Bertrand and Nicquel Terry Ellis contributed to this report.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
Who was Harvey Milk? Late SF gay rights icon at center of ship renaming controversy
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — The controversy over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordering the renaming of a Navy vessel has thrust the name of the late Harvey Milk back into the national limelight. Milk, a gay rights icon, is the namesake of the U.S. Navy replenishment oiler the USNS Harvey Milk. The vessel is a John Lewis-class replenishment ship that was named in 2016 by then-Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, who said all John-Lewis class oilers would be named for leaders who fought for civil and human rights. DA will seek death penalty at Half Moon Bay mass shooting trial Born in Woodmere, New York in 1930, Milk was a naval and combat veteran who served for years during the Korean War before being forced out for being gay. Milk made history in 1978 when he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming one of the first openly gay men elected to public office in California, and the nation. During his brief tenure in office, Milk championed the rights of the gay community and sponsored a bill to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation. That bill was signed into law by then-Mayor George Moscone. Milk, however, would serve less than a year in office before meeting with a tragic end. On Nov. 27, 1978, Milk and Moscone were assassinated in San Francisco City Hall by former supervisor Dan White. Milk was 48 years old at the time of the killings. White served just five years in prison for the killings. His attorneys employed a legal defense known a diminished capacity and argued that his mental deterioration was exacerbated by a junk food binge. Bay Area newspapers dubbed this argument the 'Twinkie defense.' White died by suicide in 1985. In the years and decades since his killing, Milk rose to the status of gay rights icon. In San Francisco's Castro District where Milk rose to political prominence as the self-proclaimed 'Mayor of Castro Street,' there is a plaza named after him. In 2018, Terminal 1 at San Francisco International Airport was renamed Harvey Milk Terminal 1. A bust of Milk can be found in San Francisco City Hall. In 2009, President Barack Obama posthumously awarded Milk the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He was also the subject of the 2008 Gus Van Sant film 'Milk,' which starred Sean Penn in the title role, and won two Oscars — Best Original Screenplay and Best Actor. The USNS Harvey Milk was named in 2016 and launched in 2021. The unusual order to rename the vessel marks the latest move by Hegseth and the wider Trump administration to purge all programs, policies, books and social media mentions of references to diversity, equity and inclusion. And it comes during Pride Month — the same timing as the Pentagon's campaign to force transgender troops out of the U.S. military. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Yahoo
Gay rights icon Harvey Milk's legacy slighted by decision to rename Navy ship
American gay rights activist Harvey Milk was known for keeping his face and name on the front pages of San Francisco's newspapers. Now, as Pride Month begins, the Trump administration is set to take the almost unprecedented action of stripping his name from a Navy ship, a defense official told CNN. The order to rename the oiler ship USNS Harvey Milk – christened four years ago – is unusual but is in line with the White House mandate to reverse a number of military initiatives by Democratic presidents. The move also comes amid the administration's broader efforts to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in government and education, as well as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's promise to 'revive the warrior ethos' in the military. Milk was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. His legacy as one of the first openly gay politicians elected to office in the US – and the first openly gay official elected in California – was burnished in history with an Oscar-winning biopic performance from Sean Penn. Before Milk served as a supervisor in San Francisco, the politician followed in the footsteps of his parents and served in the Navy. His service as a stateside diving instructor during the Korean War was cut short after four years when his Navy supervisors caught him at a park popular for gay men and questioned him about his sexual orientation. Decades before the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy prohibited the military from actively investigating its members' sexuality, Milk was outed and forced to resign with an 'other than honorable discharge' and the rank of lieutenant junior grade. Gay service members were not allowed to serve openly in the US until 2011. Milk later set up shop in the Castro neighborhood in San Francisco – the country's most famous 'gayborhood' – where he helped start the Castro Village Association, one of the first predominantly LGBTQ-owned business groups in the country. In 1977, he was elected to San Francisco's Board of Supervisors after years running his political operation from his camera store in the Castro, where stacks of campaign posters competed for space with stacks of 35mm film. While serving as a city supervisor, Milk introduced legislation to protect the gay community, including a gay rights ordinance in 1978 to ban discrimination against LGBTQ people in housing or employment. He and other activists also succeeded in striking down Proposition 6, which would have mandated the firing of gay or lesbian teachers in California. Milk was a popular figure in San Francisco, but his actions were also controversial at times. Milk fervently encouraged gay people not to be secretive about their lives, even with hostile or unsupportive family members. 'We are coming out to tell the truths about gays, for I am tired of the conspiracy of silence, so I'm going to talk about it,' he said at a 1978 gay pride march. 'And I want you to talk about it.' Milk is believed to have been one of the people behind the forced media outing of Oliver Sipple, a friend and fellow veteran who was credited with saving the life of President Gerald Ford when he grabbed the arm of would-be assassin Sara Jane Moore just as she was firing her second shot in 1975. Milk's biographer Randy Shilts told The Washington Post the politician 'wanted Sipple's homosexuality made public' because it was an opportunity for the gay community to be seen in a positive light. 'For once we can show that gays do heroic things,' he told Shilts. Sipple, who had not come out to his parents and didn't want his sexuality revealed, unsuccessfully sued media organizations that reported on it, according to The Washington Post. Less than a year after Milk became a city supervisor, he and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone were shot to death in the San Francisco City Hall by former fellow city supervisor Dan White over a job dispute. Investigators determined that White was motivated by a political dispute rather than anti-gay animus. But a jury's decision to convict White of manslaughter rather than murder shocked the gay community and prompted rioting at City Hall, the San Francisco Examiner reported. White argued in the trial that he was not fully responsible for the killings because he was depressed and acted in 'the heat of passion.' White was sentenced to seven years in prison. Milk's legacy has never faded in San Francisco, where his bust now sits in City Hall and a school in the Castro is named after him. Milk, who told friends and loved ones he knew he was in danger of being assassinated, according to the Harvey Milk Foundation, hoped his death would inspire the cause he worked for. 'If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door,' Milk said in an audio message accompanying his will. The USNS Harvey Milk is part of a class of oilers that were designated to be named for 'people who fought for civil rights and human rights.' Some of those namesakes are people who never served in the military, including congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis and women's voting rights advocate Lucy Stone. The future of those other honors is unclear. A Navy webpage marking the beginning of construction on the USNS Thurgood Marshall has been deleted. Although much of the administration's LGBTQ rollback has been focused on the transgender community – the federal government even removed the 'T' from the abbreviation – it has also cracked down on affinity groups and barred the flying of the Pride flag at any US embassy or consulate. The administration also formally declined to recognize Pride Month, instead referring to June as 'Title IX Month,' referencing the civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools. The White House has cited the law in its ban on transgender women participating in women's sports. Despite the decision falling in line with White House policy, Rep. Nancy Pelosi – whose San Francisco district includes the Castro – said erasing Milk from the military is particularly insulting. 'Our military is the most powerful in the world – but this spiteful move does not strengthen our national security or the 'warrior' ethos,' Pelosi said in a statement.'Instead, it is a surrender of a fundamental American value: to honor the legacy of those who worked to build a better country.' CNN's Natasha Bertrand and Nicquel Terry Ellis contributed to this report.
