[Page H3982]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF CESAR E. CHAVEZ

  (Mr. CARDENAS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CARDENAS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and 
legacy of labor and civil rights leader, Cesar E. Chavez.
  Born in Yuma, Arizona, Cesar worked with his family in the fields of 
America's southwest.
  After serving in the United States Navy, Cesar began organizing for 
the human dignity and respect of all farmworkers, farmworkers like my 
father and grandfather, who did backbreaking working in the fields of 
California.
  Cesar's powerful message of hope and opportunity motivated a 
generation to stand up and demand the respect and dignity their work 
deserves.
  He taught us the importance of nonviolent activism to fight for fair 
wages and fair treatment that helped put the American Dream within 
reach for hardworking immigrant families, but his legacy extends beyond 
agriculture.
  He spent his life making sure our Nation lived up to its core values 
of freedom, justice, and equality for all. His timeless vision of hope 
for a better world continues to inspire us every single day.
  Today, on what would have been his 95th birthday, let us reflect on 
Cesar's life's work and carry forward the legacy he set forth. ``Si, se 
puede.'' ``Yes, we can.''

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