California State University, Fresno will present its annual Cesar E. Chavez Celebration March 30 to April 1 including a candlelight vigil on campus, a garlanding ceremony and a field trip to La Paz to visit the farm worker leader’s final resting place.

The campus will be closed Thursday, March 31 for the state holiday enacted by the California legislature in 2000. On that day, a chartered bus will take students to La Paz for a commemoration at the National Chavez Center.

Some activities began last week including an art exhibit that opened on campus March 7 and runs through April 4 in the Henry Madden Library in honor of the late founder of the United Farm Workers union.

Chavez was born March 31, 1927 and died on April 23, 1993. The Fresno State observance includes theatrical presentations on and around the anniversary of his death.

He left a legacy of championing the cause of farm workers with a movement born in the San Joaquin Valley and often nurtured on the Fresno State campus, said Raul Moreno, a counselor in the University Migrant Services and chair of a broad-based committee organizing the event.

“He enjoyed the support of many of the campus community and others seeking to fulfill one of the labor leader’s goals: access to education,” Moreno said.

Chavez is memorialized on campus with a monument —a bronze statue of him overlooking fields and holding out a diploma – in the Peace Garden where celebration activities are now held annually by a committee comprised of student organizations, campus programs and community supporters.

One of the two inscriptions on his statue reads:

“The end of education should surely be service to others. We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about the progress and prosperity for our community’s. Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others for their sake and for our own.”

To that end, an essay contest also is being held in which writers are asked to interview someone who knew Cesar Chavez.

The deadline for the Cesar E. Chavez Essay Contest is March 15 with entries submitted to Kremen Building Room 269. The winning essay will be read at the Cesar Chavez celebration and published in the campus Chicano Student newspaper, La Voz de Aztlan.

Other activities planned for the on-campus portion of the observance began March 11 with a film, “The Fight in the Fields.”

In addition to the library, a second exhibit went on display on Monday (March 14) through April 1: the Cesar E. Chavez Exhibition on the Pavilion Wall located on the lower level of the University Student Union behind the carillon clock tower/elevator.

On Tuesday, March 29, a speaker on “The New Slavery” will be presented in the Free Speech Area Speaker’s Platform at noon by United Students Against Sweatshops, a Fresno State-recognized student organization.

On Wednesday, March 30, “Mananitas a Cesar E. Chavez” will be presented at 8 a.m. at the Chavez monument located at the southeast end of the Peace Garden. (See map at www.FresnoStateNews.com).

During the noon hour Wednesday, the annual Garlanding Ceremony will be held at the Chavez statue as part of an hour-long program.

Fresno State’s Los Danzantes de Aztlan opens the noon program by performing Mexican folkloric dances before the garlanding ceremony begins at approximately 12:30 p.m. The program also will include “Prayer of the Farmworker,” flower offerings and a group singing of “De Colores,” the UFW theme song.

The campus then closes on Thursday, March 31, and a chartered bus will take about 90 students, faculty, staff and community supporters to La Paz.

When the campus re-opens on Friday, April 1, a candlelight vigil will be held at 7 p.m. at the Chavez monument in the Peace Garden.

At the La Paz observance, Chavez’ son, Paul, will be the keynote speaker followed by declamations and presentations of flowers at the Cesar Chavez monument, a mediation activity at the Cesar Chavez Mediation Rock and personal commitments at the monument.

Tickets for the field trip are $15 with reserved seating on the Ruiz Tours Chartered bus. They are available at two locations: the University Migrant Services office in Joyal Administration Bldg. Room 224 (UMS office) and the CAMP office in the University Center (across from the Madden Library).

In April, the celebration continues with theatrical performances of “Calabasas Street,” a bilingual play for young audiences performed by students under the direction of Roxanne Schroeder Arce, Fresno State Theatre Arts professor.

On-campus performances will be April 16 at 3 p.m. in the Satellite Student Union and April 23 at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the Arena Theatre in the Speech Arts Building.

An off-campus performance will be on Saturday, April 30, at 2 p.m. at Arte Americas in Fresno.

All other Chavez celebration activities on campus are free and open to the public. The celebration is being organized by a campus-wide committee of faculty, staff, students and community members under the direction of the Division of Student Affairs.

The Fresno State observance sponsors are Phi Lambda Rho, Associated Students, University Migrant Services, Trabajadores de la Raza, Art Department, Buddhist Students for Peace through Dialogue, Colmena, Cineculture, POWER, Teatro T.O.R.T.I.L.L.A., Danzantes De Aztlan, MEChA, Sigma Omega Nu, Central Valley Cultural Heritage Institute, United Students Against Sweatshops, Migrant Student Alliance, Chicano and Latin-American Studies Department, Roxanne Schroeder, Dr. Denise Blum, Dr. Laura A. Alamillo, Dr. Su Kapoor, Dr. Martin Valencia

For more information, contact Moreno at (559) 278-5750.

Celebrating the Legacy of Cesar E. Chavez 2005

California State University, Fresno

Essay Contest:

Submit essay at ED 269 by March 15, 2005

Art Exhibit at Henry Madden Library Monday, March 7 – Friday, April 4, 2005

C6sar E. Chavez Exhibit at USU Pavilion Wall Monday, March 14 – April 1, 2005

Film: The Fight in the Fields

Friday, March 11, 2005/4:OOpm in Education 172

The New Slavery

Tuesday, March 29, 2005/12:00pm at Speaker’s Platform

Celebrating the Legacy of Cesar E. Chavez Wednesday, March 30, 2005

8:00am Mafianitas for Cesar E. Chavez

8:OOam-3:OOpm Altar Display/Cesar E. Chavez Monument

10:00am-2:00pm Farmworker Information Tables/Peace Garden

Radio Campesina

12:OOpm-12:30 Danzantes de Aztlan/Free Speech Area

12:30pm-1:00pm Garlanding Ceremony/Speakers Platform

U.S. Color Guard, Escolta, U.S. National Anthem/Mexican National Anthem “Prayer of the Farm Workers”, Garlanding Ceremony, Flower Offerings, “De Colores”

Field Trip to the National Chavez Center Thursday, March 31, 2005

$15 per ticket-available at UMS/CAMP Offices

Fresno State students will depart at 6:30am from parking lot “K” in front of the North Gym. Activities will start at 9:30am at the National Chavez Center and conclude at 2:30pm. Arrival back at CSU, Fresno is scheduled to be at 5:00pm. The tentative agenda at the National Chavez Center will be: Build the altar in honor of Cesar E. Chavez, Presentation of flowers, Las Mananitas, Declamation-Prayer of the Farm Workers, Chavez’ Documentary, Speaker, Lunch, Meditation Activity, Personal Commitment, Closing Reflections/ Remarks, “De Colores”

Candlelight Vigil

Friday, April 1, 2005/7:OOpm at the Cesar E. Chavez Monument

Theatrical Performance: “Calabasas Street” – A bilingual play for young audiences

Saturday, April 16 at 3:00pm/Satellite Student Union

Saturday, April 23 at 10:00am and 1:00pm/Arena Theatre in the Speech Arts Building Saturday, April 30 at 2:00pm/Arte Americas

Csar C. cmivrzz essay Contszst

Interview someone who knew Cesar Chavez

Criteria:

Honor one of our heroes by interviewing a person whose life was impacted by Cesar Chavez

*Describe how this person knew (of) Cesar Chavez.

*Describe the effect Cesar Chavez had on his/her life, including a personal anecdote/story related to Cesar Chavez.

*At the end of your essay, add at least a paragraph with your own reflection of this interview experience and what you have heard

* Essay should be 500-700 words, typed, 12 font, double-spaced and well written, in English or Spanish

Due: March 15th, 2005; received in lucite bin outside office ED269 in

Kremen School of Education or send to either professor below via campus mail: MIS ED2 to Dr. Alamillo or Dr. Blum.

Winning essay will be read at Cesar Chavez celebrations on March 29111 and published in La Voz de Atzlan.

Questions?:

Dr. Alamillo lalamillo@csufresno.edu 278-0252 Dr. Blum dblum@csufresno.edu 278-0248