March returns to East Austin to honor César Chávez, 'role model for the world'

After a two-year pandemic hiatus, the ¡Sí Se Puede! César Chávez March and Day of Action returned Saturday to continue the decadeslong tradition of honoring the life of civil rights activist and leader César Chávez at Parque Zaragoza in East Austin.

This year would mark the 95th birthday of César Chávez, who died in 1993 after dedicating his life to improving the living and working conditions of farmworkers in the United States.

“We want to celebrate the Chávez legacy and his work, which we hope will inspire our community,” said Paul Saldaña, who organized this year's event.

“Most of the Latinx here are under 35, so we’re reminding young people of the struggle and to fight for human rights, rights for farmworkers and fair wages,” Saldaña added. “We’ve been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 — many of our volunteers lost family members — so we’re all excited to be able to gather today.”

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At 10 a.m., more than 100 attendees marched for half an hour carrying signs proclaiming “Viva la Raza” — long live the race — and photos of Chávez, including a 5-foot-tall banner painted by Austin artist Federico Archuleta. The crowd chanted for justice and repeated, "Sí se puede!" — Yes we can!

“We’ve been showing up for years. We’ve here because we come from generations of farmworkers and some of us are farmworkers ourselves,” said Gladys Carrillo, who works for the National Center for Farmworker Health.

“César Chavez is more than a role model for the Mexican American farmworkers — he’s a role model for the world. Thank you for walking, and remember that Chavez walked more than hundreds of miles for justice,” Susana Almanza of PODER told the marchers.

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Jim Harrington, who worked as a lawyer with Chávez for 18 years, reflected on the lessons that Chávez taught him. Harrington advised attendees to love and breathe their cause — whatever their cause may be — and that if poor people are not included in social justice, change will never come.

He also told stories and shared memories of Chávez, who he said was always reading and carried a bag of books with him wherever he went.

The march and day of action was led by United By Our Roots, a network of grassroots organizations and community leaders.

César Chávez T-shirts featuring a design by local artist Amado Castillo were sold on site, and sold out before the event’s conclusion.

On the last Saturday of March — the day the event is typically held — in 2020 and 2021, would-be participants volunteered remotely on their own and or spent the day distributing personal protective equipment, food and water to the Latino community.

Elected officials also were in attendance Saturday, including state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, Travis County Judge Andy Brown and Austin City Council Members Vanessa Fuentes and Alison Alter.

“It’s important for us to come together every year, because it shows the power of our people. When we don’t do that, corruption flourishes — and that’s what's happening in the state of Texas now,” Hinojosa said.

Some of the marchers registered to vote afterwards.

“We must acknowledge the spirit of César Chavez. It lives wherever the people he inspired work for social changes,” said Jose Elias, a member of Education Austin, the local teacher union.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: César Chávez march returns to Parque Zaragoza in East Austin