Fernando F. Chavez will kick off C¿sar Chavez Celebration Week on Monday, March 29, in the Grand River Room of the Kirkhof Center at the Allendale Campus. Chavez's speech will begin at noon and focus on memories of his father, the importance of service learning and fostering civic responsibility.
It will be Fernando's first public speech since his father died in 1993. Chavez founded the first successful farm workers' union and later served as president of the United Farm Workers of America, AFL-CIO. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Aztec Eagle (Mexico's highest award).
Following Fernando Chavez's speech, campus organizations will host an Advocacy Rally at the Cook-DeWitt Plaza from 1-4 p.m. Tables with information on various social issues will be staffed.
Other Chavez week events include:
'Ofrenda a Chavez' (ofrenda means offering in Spanish) will honor a tradition with alters set up to honor the memory of ancestors and to please the returning souls as they return from the dead. A short video about the harsh lives of migrant workers will also be shown.
Silent march beginning at Zumberge Library through campus to Kirkhof Center. Reception to honor Chavez's birthday follows in Grand River Room with speaker Elias Vasquez, issue specialist for Gov. Granholm.
Poetry Slam Competition. Students compete by reading writings and poems about diversity and cultural awareness.
Welcome to the U.S.! New Immigration Policy Panel Discussion. Community panelists will discuss President Bush's immigration plan, which would give legal status to some foreign workers.
C¿sar Chavez week events are sponsored by Grand Valley's Office of Multicultural Affairs, Latino Student Union, Latin American Studies and many other organizations.
