Alex Padilla U.S. Senator for California

By Cynthia White

César E. Chávez, a Civil Rights, Latino and Labor Leader, will soon be honored by the creation of the César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park.

The Senate unanimously passed legislation by U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) on Thursday to memorialize and preserve nationally significant sites related to César E. Chávez and the farm worker movement in California and Arizona. Representative Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.) is leading companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

Specifically, this legislation would:

• Create the César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park, which would include the César E. Chávez National Monument and La Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz, in Keene, California.
• Include the following sites in the Historical Park upon agreement from site owners: Forty Acres in Delano, California; the Santa Rita Center in Phoenix, Arizona; and McDonnell Hall in San Jose, California.
• Conduct a National Historic Trail Study for the “Farmworker Peregrinacion National Historic Trail,” the 300-mile march route taken by farm workers between Delano and Sacramento in 1966.
• Require the Department of the Interior to complete a general management plan for the Park within three years.

Senator Padilla said of the legislation, “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 farm workers.”

Dr. Ruiz added, “It is crucial that we amplify the stories of communities whose history too often gets left untold. My legislation with Senator Padilla, the César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park Act, will help the National Park Service embrace their role as storytellers of our nation and reflect the diversity and richness of our people.”

A map of the proposed park can be found here.

Read the full article here.