07/30/2026
The revelations related to Cesar Chavez which surfaced in March were heartbreaking and rocked our community. The news that ricocheted across California and the nation, created so many varied feelings…...anger, frustration, confusion, sadness, empathy, hate, hurt, compassion for victims and many questions about what to do next. Our annual Cesar Chavez Breakfast which was scheduled for March 30 was postponed. In its place we created a Celebracion de la Comunidad y Justicia breakfast event held in May of this year. We offered a tribute to farmworkers, youth and education. Our event was a resounding success. All our speakers did a great job reflecting on the contribution of farmworkers to our region and the Nation. Our keynote speaker, Actor Tony Plana shared a meaningful presentation focusing on the value of education and the importance of how it is delivered to students.
Since the March revelations, many organizations have been quick to alter their memorials to Chavez while some have chosen to leave their memorials intact. We are being deliberate and intentional in our follow up to assure that we do what is best for our community. Our region has been a significant part of the farmworker movement over the decades.
We continue to seek community input regarding the Chavez Memorial Site. We are thankful for the input we have received to date and want to offer the community additional opportunities to share their opinion regarding the Chavez Memorial Site before we weigh our follow up options. Whatever course we follow, we want to ensure the community has ample opportunity to provide input, make suggestions and offer recommendations.
If we decide to modify the statue at the Chavez Memorial Site, we will also be seeking opinion from the community about any options under consideration. Any updates at the site would require expenditures necessitating a fundraising effort to assist in covering costs associated with modifications at the site.
If you have not yet had an opportunity to share your opinion, please take a few minutes to scan the QR code below and share your thoughts with us. Thank you for your consideration and input.
