Dianne Feinstein: “today we honor the life and legacy of Cesar Chavez, a great champion of civil rights and workers' rights. Cesar Chavez…”

“today we honor the life and legacy of Cesar Chavez, a great champion of civil rights and workers' rights. Cesar Chavez was one of our Nation's strongest advocates for social justice. He believed that the men and women who bring us the food we depend on deserve a safe work environment and a fair wage. He fought for America's farmworkers--men and women who worked so hard to provide a decent life for their families--and challenged all Americans to recognize their plight. On this day, 77 years ago, Chavez was born at the Yuma, AZ farm his grandfather had homesteaded in the 1880's. Like many families during the Great Depression, his family lost their farm and began years of migrating from town to town throughout the southwest in search of steady work. Chavez began working at the age of ten. He attended school when he could--thirty-seven different schools, in all--before abandoning his education after the eighth grade to help his family. In 1945, he joined the Navy, serving in the Pacific just after World War II. Upon returning to the United States, he lived in several different Southwestern communities before settling in East San Jose. It was there--as he worked in the apricot orchards--that he decided to devote his life to tackling the injustice that so many migrant workers lived under. In 1952, Chavez became a full-time organizer with the Community Service Organization, a Mexican-American advocacy group.”