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About 100 community members from East Palo and neighboring communities marched from Bell Street Park to St. Francis of Assisi Church for the Cesar Chavez March on April 7, honoring the civil rights activist and the work of the United Farm Workers of America.
Locals carried signs that said “Sí, Se Puede,” and “Feed Our Minds. Feed Our Belly,” Event organizers held a United Farm Workers of America Flag as they led the march.
Since 1994, Cesar Chavez Ravenswood Middle School has carried the name of the civil rights legend and celebrated the work he did for migrant farmworkers. According to event organizer Ruben Abrica, in the last three years, the celebration has extended beyond the school and throughout the community.
“This year, we wanted to do a march for peace and justice and also focus on supporting immigrant communities,” said Abrica. “This is not only a celebration of Cesar Chavez and the farmworkers, but it’s a celebration of all the people who do the work that often is not recognized.”
The event featured various community organizations, including Comité Latino, Youth Community Services, resilient East Palo community team, Love Never Fails and more.
Through increased funding with a grant from the city’s transient occupancy tax, the event was able to expand on a larger scale to bring youth, families and seniors together, said YCS Executive Director Mora Oommen.
The YCS has been working with Cesar Chavez Middle School students to educate them about the history of farmerworkers and took them to visit a farm in East Palo Alto. After the trip, students reflected, shared their experiences and created posters with information about significant people in the farmworkers movement, said Oommen.
Student posters decorated the walls of Assisi Church. Community members could read about the work of civil rights leaders such as Dolores Huerta, Larry Itliong, Jessica Govea Thorbourne and Philip Vera Cruz.
Youth United for Community Action, a local grassroots organization, is educating young people in East Palo Alto about how to become organizers and address issues within the community.
“One of the biggest issues right now is the lack of education around what fascism is,” said YUCA organizer Fernanda Sandoval. She emphasized how important it is to teach young people of color how to stand up and fight for their communities.
During the event, Cesar Chavez’s niece Barbara Medina-Aranda joined a Zoom session to thank the community of East Palo Alto for keeping the legacy of farmerworkers, immigrants and people of color alive.
“The importance of standing up and supporting our community, you can’t put a value on that,” said District 4 Supervisor Lisa Gauthier. “As residents, we are going to continue to show up for those who are the most vulnerable in our communities and make sure they’re being supported.”
As the evening continued, local residents could be seen engaging with each other through laughter and song. Participants sang “De Colores,” a popular song that became the anthem for the United Farm Workers Movement in the 1960s.
According to Oommen, this is part of a series of cultural community events that will take place in East Palo Alto. The next event will celebrate the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community in a festival from 12 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, May 31, at Bell Street Park. For more information visit @weareanamatangi on Instagram.
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