Thousands march across Delano in honor of civil rights icon César Chávez's 98th birthday
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Each March 31 — the day civil rights icon Cesar Chavez was born in Yuma, Arizona, in 1927 — Americans celebrate César Chávez Day.
California is one of few states to recognize the day as an official holiday.
The name César Chávez is extra special to Kern County, as the years-long grape strike, for which Chávez is often remembered, happened right here in Delano.
'The work began here in Delano. It was here in Delano that voice, that message was sent out to the country that if you stand up and you fight hard, you can make social change,' said Paul Chávez, son of César Chávez.
All of Monday, agricultural workers and supporters marched through Delano.
The crowd amassed to several thousand, as workers from all around the state rallied to protest what they describe as an extra difficult time under the Trump Administration and its plans for mass deportations.
'We need to remember that immigrants, especially farmworkers, do a very, very important job, and we need to respect them for that,' said Teresa Romero, president of United Farm Workers.
'He's been honored in many communities in different ways,' said Paul Chávez. 'They've named different streets after him, parks after him, there's libraries and holidays… but we know the best way to honor his legacy is to get out and keep that fight for justice going.'
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Chávez, for decades, stood at the vanguard of the farm workers' rights movement.
In 1962, he co-founded the United Farm Workers union — then known as the National Farm Workers Association — with Dolores Huerta, another name embedded into Kern County history.
'We're still there for farmworkers,' added Romero.
Chávez famously was part of the 1965 grape strike in Delano, initiated by Filipino American grape workers protesting poor pay.
For this steadfast believer in nonviolence, the movement included leading a 300-mile march from Delano to Sacramento, fasting, as well as a grape boycott — which farmworkers and consumers nationwide participated in.
All this led to the first-of-its-kind union contracts, granting workers better pay and benefits.
Chávez leaves behind the UFW and the Cesar Chavez Foundation.
'We're talking about people who produce the greatest bounty of food this country has ever seen, people who makes hotel rooms, beds, they build the houses we all live in,' said Paul Chávez. 'Today, we're here to honor farmworkers and workers in general.'
Romero also noted it's not just fruits and vegetables that come at the hands of these workers, many of whom call Kern County home.
'Milk, eggs, chicken. Every that is, is because of our farmworkers and agricultural workers,' she said.
She also emphasized while farm work is often looked down upon as 'manual labor,' it too is considered a profession, and the field workers are 'professionals' at their jobs.
Meantime, local efforts to celebrate César Chávez daily are underway by renaming a street after him in Bakersfield.
City Councilmember Eric Arias told 17 News the latest update is that the City is leaning towards H Street.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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