Cesar E. Chavez Day 2025: What's closed, open in El Paso? Who is César Chávez
The nation is set to celebrate the federal holiday of César E. Chávez Day in honor of the Chicano labor leader.
That means some city offices and schools will be closed in observance of the day on Monday, March 31. Here are the locations affected by the holiday.
El Paso schools will observe the holiday on Monday, March 31, with no classes.
El Paso Community College will not have classes on Monday, March 3,1 and will resume on Tuesday, April 1.
The university will observe the holiday on Friday, March 28, by not having classes.
El Paso County offices will be closed on Monday, March 31.
Chicano and civil-rights icon César E. Chávez was born on March 31, 1927, in Yuma, Arizona, to migrant laborers. He worked in the fields before joining the Navy for two years and returning to being a farmworker. However, he questioned the life of instability and low wages, which led him to grassroots organizing.
Chávez co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later consolidated with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee and is now known as United Farm Workers. It is one of the largest farm labor unions in America, with more than 10,000 active members, according to nationaltoday.com.
Chávez passed away on April 23, 1993, in San Luis, Arizona. In 2014, President Barack H. Obama declared March 31 a national holiday.
The U.S. Postal Service does not observe César Chávez Day. Therefore, the Post Office will deliver Priority Mail Express and some Amazon packages on Monday, March 31.
Kristian Jaime is the Top Story Reporter for the El Paso Times and is reachable at Kjaime@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: What's open, closed on César Chávez Day 2025?
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Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Military parade kicks off in nation's capital with tanks, troops and 21-gun salute
WASHINGTON (AP) — The grand military parade that President Donald Trump had been wanting for eight years kicked off Saturday with tanks, troops and a 21-gun salute, playing out against the counterpoint of protesters around the country who decried the U.S. leader as a dictator and would-be king. The Republican president, on his 79th birthday, sat on a special viewing stand south of the White House to watch the display of American military might, which began early as light rain fell and dark clouds loomed. It's a procession Trump tried to make happen in his first term after seeing such an event in Paris in 2017, but the plans never came together until this year, when it was added to an event recognizing the Army's 250th anniversary. Hours before the parade was set to start, demonstrators turned out in streets and parks around the nation to decry the Republican president as a dictator or would-be king. They criticized Trump for using the military to respond to those protesting his deportation efforts and for sending tanks, thousands of marching troops and military aircraft out for a show in the U.S. capital. In Washington, anti-war protesters unfurled signs that said 'Homes not drones' not far from a display of armored vehicles, helicopters and military-grade equipment on the National Mall set up to commemorate the Army's birthday. Vendors outside the festival sold gear marking the military milestone. Others hawked Trump-themed merchandise. Doug Haynes, a Navy veteran who voted for Trump, attended the daylong festival to celebrate the Army's 250th birthday, but said that the parade scheduled for later 'was a little over the top.' Pointing at a nearby tank, Haynes said that having them roll down the street is a 'very bold statement to the world, perhaps.' The military procession was set to step off from the Lincoln Memorial later Saturday, under the threat of stormy weather and to the accompaniment of protests elsewhere in the city. Trump brushed off the possibility of both disruptions, with a social media post Saturday morning that said the 'great military parade' would be on 'rain or shine.' The protests, he said earlier, 'will be met with very big force.' Hours ahead of the parade, crowds of protesters with anti-Trump signs marched toward the White House, escorted by police vehicles and officers on bicycles. Some held a giant banner that read: 'TRUMP MUST GO NOW.' The parade was added just a few weeks ago to the planned celebration of the Army's birthday and has drawn criticism for its price tag of up to $45 million and the possibility that the lumbering tanks could tear up city streets. The Army has taken a variety of steps to protect the streets, including laying metal plates along the route. About 6 in 10 Americans said Saturday's parade was 'not a good use' of government money. The vast majority of people, 78%, said they neither approve nor disapprove of the parade overall, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research . The daylong display of America's Army comes as Trump has shown his willingness to use the nation's military might in ways other U.S. presidents have typically avoided. In the last week, he has activated the California National Guard without the governor's permission and dispatched the U.S. Marines to provide security during Los Angeles protests related to immigration raids, prompting a state lawsuit to stop the deployments. He similarly sought to project military strength during his first presidential term, saying in 2020 that he wanted forces to 'dominate' the streets following racial justice protests that turned violent and warning governors that he was prepared to send in active-duty fighters if they did not call out the National Guard in their states. Earlier this week, Trump raised eyebrows during a speech at Fort Bragg when members of the 82nd Airborne Division, who were directed to stand behind Trump, booed and cheered during his incendiary remarks , including condemnation of his predecessor, Joe Biden. There also was a pop-up 'Make America Great Again' merchandise stand nearby selling souvenirs to troops in uniform. The Defense Department has a doctrine that prohibits troops from participating in political activity while in uniform. Members of Congress and military leaders have expressed concerns about the political displays during the speech at Fort Bragg. Saturday's pageantry was designed to fulfill Trump's expressed desire for a big parade that he tried to get done in his first term after seeing one in Paris on Bastille Day in 2017. Trump said after watching the two-hour procession along the famed Champs-Élysées that he wanted an even grander one in Washington. Saturday's event is expected to include about 6,600 soldiers, 50 helicopters and 60-ton M1 Abrams battle tanks , as well as possibly 200,000 attendees and heightened security to match. The parade will wind down Constitution Avenue, lined with security fencing and barriers. Army helicopters and aircraft will fly above, and the march will be capped off by a parachute jump, a concert featuring 'God Bless the U.S.A.' singer Lee Greenwood and fireworks. It remained unclear whether any protests would disrupt the parade, though several hundred demonstrators assembled in the hours before. Officials have said they had no indication of any security threat. 'No Kings' rallies — organizers picked the name to support democracy and speak out against what they call the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration — unfolding in hundreds of cities — were meant to counter what organizers say are Trump's plans to feed his ego on his 79th birthday and Flag Day. Ahead of a rally and march toward the White House on Saturday afternoon, about 200 protesters assembled in northwest Washington's Logan Circle and handed out signs and danced to upbeat music from a local street band, including 'This Land Is Your Land.' The mood was celebratory as the group chanted 'Trump must go now' before erupting in cheers. A larger-than-life puppet of Trump was wheeled through the crowd, a caricature of the president wearing a crown and sitting on a golden toilet. Other protesters waved pride flags and hoisted signs, some with pointed messages such as 'I prefer crushed ICE,' referring to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. Other messages were: 'The invasion was HERE Jan. 6th, NOT in L.A.' and 'Flip me off if you're a FASCIST.' With rain expected, there was a chance the parade could be interrupted by thunderstorms. The Army expects as many as 200,000 people could attend the festival and parade. The parade is set to begin at 6:30 p.m. EDT, but parts of it — including the horse-drawn caissons and other units — start at the Pentagon, head over a bridge and meet up with some of the heavier tanks and equipment. Officials did not want the more-than-60-ton M1A1 Abrams tanks and Stryker vehicles crossing the bridge. Timed down to the minute, the march will be divided into sections by history — with equipment and troops in full dress from each period. It will include a total of 6,169 soldiers and 128 Army tanks, armored personnel carriers and artillery, while 62 aircraft fly overhead. At the end of the parade, Trump will swear in 250 new or reenlisting troops, and the Army's Golden Knights parachute team will jump onto the Mall. That will be followed by a concert and fireworks. ____ Associated Press writers Eric Tucker, Michelle L. Price, Nathan Ellgren, Lea Skene, Olivia Diaz, Joey Cappelletti, Ashraf Khalil and Tara Copp contributed to this report. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
New York Times
a day ago
- New York Times
Live Updates: Trump's Military Parade Starts Early to Beat the Rain
Troops marching on Memorial Bridge across the Potomac River toward the Pentagon during the National Victory Celebration parade in Washington on June 8, 1991. It began with an F-117 stealth fighter flying by as thousands of U.S. troops began a 3.5-mile march from Capitol Hill. The last major military parade in the nation's capital was on June 8, 1991, just months after the end of Operation Desert Storm. It was called the National Victory Celebration, and its festivities were a celebration of American military might and technological prowess after U.S. and coalition forces had expelled the Iraqi Army from Kuwait following roughly a month of airstrikes and a 100-hour ground war. Once the wedge-shaped black jet flew down the National Mall, more than a dozen Army and Navy helicopters followed, as did an OV-10 Bronco observation plane from the Marines. Hundreds of thousands of people cheered as more than 8,000 active-duty and reserve service members from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard along with a civilian contingent from the Merchant Marine made their way along the route from Capitol Hill down Constitution Avenue, over the Memorial Bridge across the Potomac River to the Pentagon. Early in the route, they marched under a huge yellow ribbon suspended over the road by cranes. On Saturday, troops and military equipment were set to again roll down the streets of Washington, this time for the Army's 250th birthday celebration. President Trump has boasted about plans for the 'amazing day,' which is also his 79th birthday. Image Desert Storm veterans waved to spectators lining the route of the parade. Credit... Terry Ashe/The LIFE Picture Collection, via Shutterstock Image A picnic on the National Mall for the service members after the parade. Credit... Bob Strong/Associated Press But the 1991 parade was different. It came just months after a lopsided victory against an enemy army in the largest U.S. military operation since Vietnam. For some politicians still feeling the aftershocks of that war in Southeast Asia, the battle in the Iraqi desert felt like vindication. 'By God, we've kicked the Vietnam syndrome once and for all,' President George H.W. Bush said proudly at the end of a speech to state legislators at the White House in March, shortly after the cease-fire was signed. Leading the parade was an officer whose approach to war was shaped by combat in Vietnam, Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, who had overseen the Gulf War from a base in Saudi Arabia, with his staff from U.S. Central Command in formation behind him. Once the general reached Mr. Bush's reviewing stand in front of the Ellipse near the White House, he split off to salute the president, who left the stand's protective bubble of ballistic glass to greet him. General Schwarzkopf then stepped into the president's stand and sat beside his boss, Gen. Colin L. Powell, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Together, the two generals received and returned salutes from the marchers alongside their commander in chief. The parade was heavy on people and marching bands, and relatively light on hulking vehicles. Image Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, left, and President George H.W. Bush watching the 1991 military parade. Credit... Ron Edmonds/Associated Press Just three M1 Abrams tanks, two M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, two M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System vehicles, two Light Attack Vehicles, an Amphibious Assault Vehicle and four M109 Paladin self-propelled howitzers accompanied them. On Saturday, however, there were plans for 28 tanks, 28 Bradleys, 28 Stryker fighting vehicles and five Paladins. Crowds were expected to be much smaller than in 1991, as the Secret Service had fenced off the parade route to all but those who consent to a security screening. The thunderstorms and rain showers predicted for late afternoon and early evening may thin the crowd even more. More than 60 warplanes flew down the Mall at various points in 1991, but just a handful of World War II-vintage planes of the former Army Air Forces will fly on Saturday. For the Desert Storm celebration, the Navy flew a dozen warplanes in three diamond formations. The Air Force flew at least one of every kind of plane that it had used over Iraq, from a B-52 bomber to cargo planes and refuelers to F-15s and A-10 attack jets. Cheers went up for the military hardware rolling or flying down the Mall, just as for the marchers. Image A banner with President Trump's portrait is displayed behind security fencing. Credit... Eric Lee Image A military aircraft on the Mall ahead of Saturday's parade for the Army's 250th birthday. Credit... Eric Lee The crowd clapped and shouted at the sight of a Patriot air-defense missile launcher and mock-ups of two Tomahawk cruise missiles, which the parade's announcer called 'a technical hero' of the war. Willard Scott, then a mainstay of morning television on the 'Today' show, told the crowd — many of whom were waving small flags — how many Tomahawks the Navy had fired during the war. There were no tall security barriers keeping the revelers locked in place, and after about an hour and 45 minutes, they began leaving as marchers carrying the flags of all U.S. states and territories came by, followed by a U.S.O. float bearing a large sign saying, 'Thank you America.' The president stayed to sing 'God Bless America' and soon made his way to the White House's South Lawn, where a Marine helicopter landed to fly him to Camp David. After some pops and puffs of smoke from a brief daylight fireworks show, one last Army band played 'The Stars and Stripes Forever.' 'Goooooood morning, Americans!' Adrian Cronauer, a former Air Force radio D.J., belted into a microphone — a play on a line made famous by Robin Williams in a 1987 movie about Mr. Cronauer's tour in Vietnam. One final flyby, and it was over. For the men and women marching to the Pentagon, they were home. But tens of thousands of troops were still in the desert, minding Iraqi prisoners of war, dodging unexploded American munitions littering the sand, and giving humanitarian aid. Around 200 U.S. service members died in the war, and tens of thousands of Iraqis were killed. For all of the celebration of the Gulf War's accomplishments, and the idea that limited war could provide lasting results, the syndrome that Mr. Bush thought he had kicked was merely in remission. Image The Lincoln Memorial in Washington is seen behind security fencing. Credit... Eric Lee His son, George W. Bush, ordered U.S. forces to war in Iraq again as president just 12 years later. That war led to a longer conflict than U.S. troops faced in Vietnam. Although America's combat mission in the country largely ended for a second time in 2011, and then transitioned into a battle against the Islamic State until 2021, U.S. forces remain in the country to support Iraqi forces attacking pockets of Islamic State fighters. There is no military victory to celebrate this time, only a 250-year milestone for the Army and a president threatening that protesters who assembled during the event would be met with 'very big force' on his birthday.
CNBC
a day ago
- CNBC
Military parade set to kick off in nation's capital as protesters around the country decry Trump
Tanks, troops and marching bands assembled in the nation's capital Saturday for a massive parade of American military power requested by President Donald Trump, a show that was met by thousands of Americans around the country displaying another kind of power: protest. Hours before the parade honoring the Army's 250th anniversary was set to start, demonstrators turned out in streets and parks around the nation to decry the Republican president as a dictator or would-be king. They criticized Trump for using the military to respond to those protesting his deportation efforts and for sending tanks, thousands of marching troops and military aircraft out for a show in the U.S. capital. In Washington, anti-war protesters unfurled signs that said "Homes not drones" not far from a display of armored vehicles, helicopters and military-grade equipment on the National Mall set up to commemorate the Army's birthday. Bowls of red, white and blue punch were ladled out to attendees, along with slices of a large Army-themed cake that uniformed officials cut with a sabre. Vendors outside the festival sold gear marking the military milestone. Others hawked Trump-themed merchandise. Trump has been wanting a military parade in Washington ever since he watched one in France with tanks, soldier and jets overhead in 2017. His dream is set to finally be realized on a day that coincides with his 79th birthday and Flag Day, after organizers tacked the parade onto the lineup for the Army celebration. Trump got regular updates on the planning and made requests for aircraft and hardware to capture the might of the military. The Air Force also was expected to have a role, a U.S. official confirmed on Saturday. U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and F-22 fighter jets were to fly over the National Mall at the start of the parade — a late addition to the schedule at the specific request of the White House, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. It wasn't clear why they were added, since the 250th birthday festival and parade are solely featuring Army units, vehicles and equipment; the Army does not have fighter jets — only the Air Force and Navy do. Doug Haynes, a Navy veteran who voted for Trump, attended the daylong festival to celebrate the Army's 250th birthday, but said that the parade scheduled for later "was a little over the top." Pointing at a nearby tank, Haynes said that having them roll down the street is a "very bold statement to the world, perhaps." The military procession was set to step off from the Lincoln Memorial later Saturday, under the threat of stormy weather and to the accompaniment of protests elsewhere in the city. Trump brushed off the possibility of both disruptions, with a social media post Saturday morning that said the "great military parade" would be on "rain or shine." The protests, he said earlier, "will be met with very big force." Hours ahead of the parade, crowds of protesters with anti-Trump signs marched toward the White House, escorted by police vehicles and officers on bicycles. Some held a giant banner that read: "TRUMP MUST GO NOW." The parade has drawn criticism for its price tag of up to $45 million and the possibility that the lumbering tanks could tear up city streets. The Army has taken a variety of steps to protect the streets, including laying metal plates along the route. About 6 in 10 Americans said Saturday's parade was "not a good use" of government money. The vast majority of people, 78%, said they neither approve nor disapprove of the parade overall, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The daylong display of America's Army comes as Trump has shown his willingness to use the nation's military might in ways other U.S. presidents have typically avoided, inviting an array of lawsuits and accusations that he is politicizing the military. In the last week, he has activated the California National Guard without the governor's permission and dispatched the U.S. Marines to provide security during Los Angeles protests related to immigration raids, prompting a state lawsuit to stop the deployments. Earlier this week, Trump raised eyebrows during a speech at Fort Bragg when members of the 82nd Airborne Division, who were directed to stand behind Trump, booed and cheered during his incendiary remarks, including condemnation of his predecessor, Joe Biden. Saturday's event is expected to include about 6,600 soldiers, 50 helicopters and 60-ton M1 Abrams battle tanks, as well as possibly 200,000 attendees and heightened security to match. The parade will wind down Constitution Avenue, lined with security fencing and barriers. Army helicopters and aircraft will fly above, and the march will be capped off by a parachute jump, a concert featuring "God Bless the U.S.A." singer Lee Greenwood and fireworks. It remained unclear whether any protests would disrupt the parade, though several hundred demonstrators assembled in the hours before. Hundreds marched through the city to Lafayette Park on the north side of the White House with signs that said, "Trump must go now." They had set out from northwest Washington's Logan Circle, where they handed out signs and danced to upbeat music from a local street band, including "This Land Is Your Land." A larger-than-life puppet of Trump was wheeled through the crowd, a caricature of the president wearing a crown and sitting on a golden toilet. Protests dubbed "No Kings" rallies were being held around the country. Organizers picked the name to support democracy and speak out against what they call the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration, including the crackdown on immigration. In Washington, protesters waved pride flags and hoisted signs, some with pointed messages such as "I prefer crushed ICE," referring to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. Other messages were: "The invasion was HERE Jan. 6th, NOT in L.A." and "Flip me off if you're a FASCIST." Officials have said they had no indication of any security threat. The Army expects as many as 200,000 people to attend the festival and parade. But with rain expected, there was a chance the parade could be interrupted by thunderstorms. The parade is set to begin at 6:30 p.m. EDT, but parts of it — including the horse-drawn caissons and other units — start at the Pentagon, head over a bridge and meet up with some of the heavier tanks and equipment. Officials did not want the more-than-60-ton M1A1 Abrams tanks and Stryker vehicles crossing the bridge. Timed down to the minute, the march will be divided into sections by history — with equipment and troops in full dress from each period. It will include a total of 6,169 soldiers and 128 Army tanks, armored personnel carriers and artillery, while 62 aircraft fly overhead. At the end of the parade, Trump will swear in 250 new or reenlisting troops, and the Army's Golden Knights parachute team will jump onto the Mall. That will be followed by a concert and fireworks.
