Alex Padilla U.S. Senator for California

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) announced that the Senate unanimously passed his bicameral legislation to create the César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park. This bill would preserve several nationally significant sites related to César E. Chávez and the farm worker movement in California and Arizona. Representative Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.-25) is leading companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

César Chávez is a Latino icon and civil rights leader, labor leader, and community organizer whose legacy is deeply embedded in the story of California, the farm worker movement, and the push for worker and civil rights. Chávez empowered Latinos and farm workers to fight for fair wages, health care coverage, pension benefits, housing improvements, and countless other protections. His commitment to social justice has inspired generations, and fuels ongoing efforts to improve the lives of all people, regardless of their ethnicity or the color of their skin.

“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,” said Senator Padilla. “The Senate took a historic step by unanimously passing this legislation to better memorialize the diverse legacy and culture of all Americans through our National Park system and give farm workers the recognition they deserve.”

“Growing up the son of farmworkers in the Coachella Valley, I remember seeing César Chávez and the sense of hope he gave to our communities and farmworkers across the United States. His story still inspires and motivates me even today,” said Dr. Ruiz. “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.”

The hundreds of sites that are part of the National Park system preserve our natural, historical, and cultural heritage while offering vital spaces for teaching, learning, and outdoor recreation. While the National Park Service (NPS) embraces their role as “America’s storytellers,” too few national park units primarily focus on women, communities of color, or other historically marginalized groups. The sites preserved by this bill would ensure that the National Park system better represents the diverse history of our nation. As a farm worker himself, César Chávez maintained a strong connection to the natural environment, and this bill uplifts his story and those of others whose contributions helped build the farm worker and civil rights movements that are pillars of American history.

Specifically, this legislation would:

• Create the César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park, which would include the existing the César E. Chávez National Monument, which includes La Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz, in Keene, California.

• Upon written agreement from the site owners, the National Historical Park would include the following sites: 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 Peregrinación 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 historical park within three years.

In 2008, Congress enacted bipartisan legislation from former Arizona Senator John McCain and former California Representative Hilda Solis to direct the NPS to conduct a special resource study of sites that are significant to the life of César Chávez and the farm labor movement in the western United States. In 2012, President Obama established the César E. Chávez National Monument in Keene, California. In 2013, the NPS transmitted the Special Resource Study to Congress. The study team evaluated over 100 sites significant to César Chávez and the farm labor movement in the western United States, finding that several were nationally significant and depicted a distinct and important aspect of American history associated with civil rights and labor movements that is not adequately represented or protected elsewhere. While the NPS included five potential management alternatives to protect these sites, they ultimately recommended that Congress establish a National Historical Park that would incorporate nationally significant sites in California and Arizona related to the life of César Chávez and the farm labor movement.

A map of the proposed park can be found here.

A list of endorsing organizations can be found here.

Full text of the bill can be found here.

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