Bakersfield Californian: Lawmakers propose national historical park honoring Chávez, farmworker movement
By John Cox
The United Farm Workers labor union started in Kern County but it certainly didn’t stop there — and neither would a national park that has been proposed to honor the organization, one of its historic leaders and the movement he helped start.
On Monday, César Chávez Day, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla and Rep. Raul Ruiz introduced legislation to create the César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park that would include parts of Delano and Keene, as well as sites in San Jose and Phoenix.
The two lawmakers said in a news release that the legislation, cosponsored by fellow California Democrat Sen. Adam Schiff, would be a fitting tribute to Chávez and the civil rights gains attained by the farmworker movement.
“Establishing the César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park would pay proper homage to César Chávez’s tireless work for the dignity, respect and equal treatment of workers — priorities facing immense threats under the Trump administration,” Padilla stated in the release.
“Our National Park system should memorialize the diverse legacy and culture of all Americans and give farmworkers the recognition they deserve,” he added.
The park, if approved by Congress and signed into existence by the president, would complement the 116-acre César E. Chávez National Monument, also known as Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz. The monument was established in Keene, near Tehachapi, by proclamation of former President Barack Obama in 2012.
If the property owners agree, the proposed historical park would include the monument, in addition to Forty Acres in Delano, McDonnell Hall in San Jose and the Santa Rita Center in Phoenix.
In addition, the legislation calls for a National Historic Trail Study for a 300-mile Farmworker Peregrinación National Historic Trail. The route was walked in 1966 by farmworkers traveling from Delano to Sacramento to call attention to their cause.
Efforts to establish the historical park date to 2008, when bipartisan legislation directed the U.S. National Park Service to study sites significant to the farmworker movement and the life of Chávez, who died in 1993.
The National Park Service suggested five ways to protect the sites. It ultimately told Congress that a national historical park should be established to preserve them.
Forty Acres is considered the birthplace of the union, while McDonnell Hall is a Catholic church where Chávez attended religious services and conducted organizing and other work. Santa Rita Center was a church that was important early in the history of the Chicano Movement.
Ruiz said in Monday’s release that the legislation would empower the National Park Service to “honor and share these important stories, celebrating the diverse and vibrant history of our country.”
“Having grown up as the son of farmworkers in the Coachella Valley, I remember the profound hope César Chávez instilled in our communities and farmworkers across the nation. His legacy continues to inspire me to this day,” he stated. “It’s vital that we amplify the voices of communities whose stories are too often left unheard.”
Read the full article here.