California legislators propose national park honoring César Chávez and farm worker movement
Two California legislators on Monday introduced a bill that would create the César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park, preserving multiple sites associated with the civil rights icon and the movement he led.
Presented by U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Representative Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.-25), the bicameral legislation would establish the national park, incorporating the existing Cesar E. Chávez National Monument in Keene, Calif., as well as additional sites in California (Forty Acres in Delano and McDonnell Hall in San Jose) and Arizona (the Santa Rita Center in Phoenix). The announcement was made to coincide with the César Chávez Day national holiday. U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) is the legislation's co-sponsor.
Chávez is an iconic Latino labor leader and community organizer with a legacy that is intertwined with modern California history and the history of the farm worker movement. Chávez led the fight for farm workers to demand fair wages, health care coverage, pension benefits, and housing improvements along with other rights and protections.
""Establishing the César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park would pay proper homage to César Chávez's tireless work for the dignity, respect, and equal treatment of workers — priorities facing immense threats under the Trump Administration," Padilla said
in the press release issued by his office
. "Our National Park system should memorialize the diverse legacy and culture of all Americans and give farm workers the recognition they deserve."
"It's vital that we amplify the voices of communities whose stories are too often left unheard," Rep. Ruiz added. "The César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park Act, aims to empower the National Park Service to honor and share these important stories, celebrating the diverse and vibrant history of our country."
In addition to establishing the national park sites at the locations outlined, the bill would also conduct a National Historic Trail Study for the "Farmworker Peregrinación National Historic Trail," the 300-mile march route taken by farm workers between Delano and Sacramento in 1966.
A map of the proposed park can be found
online
.
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