By Gallego H.R. No. 640 77R11279 MW-F R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, The House of Representatives of the State of Texas 1-2 takes pride in paying tribute to the life of Cesar Chavez in 1-3 anticipation of Cesar Chavez Day on March 31, 2001; and 1-4 WHEREAS, Born March 31, 1927, near Yuma, Arizona, Cesar 1-5 Chavez grew up in a hardworking family of farmers, living first in 1-6 Arizona and then moving to California to work in the fields; he 1-7 learned about injustice at an early age and was subjected to 1-8 discrimination throughout much of his childhood; Cesar and his 1-9 brother attended 37 schools while traveling with their family from 1-10 farm to farm, and in 1942, Cesar graduated from the eighth grade 1-11 and became a migrant farm worker; and 1-12 WHEREAS, In 1944, at the age of 17, Cesar joined the United 1-13 States Navy and served his country with distinction for two years; 1-14 he married Helen Fabela in 1948, and after living for a while in 1-15 Delano, the couple settled in San Jose, where Cesar worked in 1-16 apricot orchards and was influenced by Fred Ross, who was head of 1-17 the Community Service Organization; and 1-18 WHEREAS, Cesar quickly became an active leader in the 1-19 Community Service Organization; he organized voter registration 1-20 drives in the Mexican American community and formed new chapters of 1-21 the organization throughout California and Arizona; he helped the 1-22 organization to become the most effective Latino civil rights group 1-23 of its time; and 1-24 WHEREAS, After serving as the director of the Community 2-1 Service Organization, he left the group in 1962, moved with his 2-2 wife and eight children back to Delano, and founded the National 2-3 Farm Workers Association with the goal of improving conditions for 2-4 migrant workers; and 2-5 WHEREAS, In 1965, Cesar's association voted to join a strike 2-6 against the Delano area grape growers; the strike had been 2-7 initiated by the AFL-CIO's Agricultural Workers Organizing 2-8 Committee; the two groups united to form the United Farm Workers of 2-9 America, and under Cesar's able leadership, the organization 2-10 sustained a five-year strike and boycott that rallied the support 2-11 of labor unions, churches, students, and minority groups throughout 2-12 the country; and 2-13 WHEREAS, By 1970, the boycott had forced most table grape 2-14 producers to sign contracts with the United Farm Workers, but in 2-15 1973, most growers tried to undermine the power of the organization 2-16 by signing new contracts, thus sparking the largest farm labor 2-17 strike in our country's history; and 2-18 WHEREAS, The boycott gained momentum and the support of 2-19 nearly 17 million Americans, and eventually California agricultural 2-20 producers were forced to support the state's historic 1975 2-21 collective bargaining law that extended labor union protection to 2-22 farm workers; and 2-23 WHEREAS, The United Farm Workers succeeded in making 2-24 accomplishments of enormous historical significance; the 2-25 organization was responsible for establishing the first 2-26 comprehensive union health benefits for farm workers and their 2-27 families, the first functioning credit union for farm workers, and 3-1 the first union contracts requiring rest periods, clean drinking 3-2 water, and protective clothing against pesticide exposure; and 3-3 WHEREAS, Cesar Chavez used nonviolent tactics in pursuit of 3-4 his causes and gave tirelessly of his time to the plight of farm 3-5 workers; his efforts gave rise to La Causa and became a vital part 3-6 of the national quest for Mexican American equality and justice; 3-7 through incredible perseverance and sacrifice, including his 3-8 well-known lengthy fasts, Cesar Chavez accomplished his goals and 3-9 became not only a champion of the farm worker, but also a champion 3-10 of the civil rights movement in our country; and 3-11 WHEREAS, Cesar Chavez was the 1991 recipient of the Aguila 3-12 Azteca Award, the highest award Mexico can bestow on a person of 3-13 Mexican heritage; after his death in 1993, his widow, Helen Chavez, 3-14 accepted the Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor, 3-15 for her late husband at a White House ceremony in 1994; President 3-16 Bill Clinton lauded Cesar Chavez for having "faced formidable, 3-17 often violent opposition with dignity and nonviolence"; and 3-18 WHEREAS, A true hero whose courage and determination served 3-19 as an inspiration to millions of people throughout the world, Cesar 3-20 Chavez left an indelible imprint on our country and on the lives of 3-21 its citizens, and the schools of America should continue to educate 3-22 our children about the life of this great man and his many 3-23 accomplishments; and 3-24 WHEREAS, In 1999, the 76th Texas Legislature adopted S.B. 107 3-25 creating an optional state holiday in Texas to commemorate the life 3-26 of a great American, Cesar Chavez; now, therefore, be it 3-27 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 77th Texas 4-1 Legislature hereby celebrate the remarkable life of Cesar Chavez 4-2 and his invaluable contributions to our country and encourage all 4-3 Texans to show appreciation for his achievements on Cesar Chavez 4-4 Day.