MEDIA ADVISORY: March 28, 2012
Contact:
Robert Ullanca Xupalli Castillo – 408-531-7583
Techicuauhtli Ray Baeza – 408-768-3247
Frank Ruiz – 408-295-6456
SEIU Local 521 Latino Caucus hosts 9th Annual Cesar Chavez celebration Sunday
San Jose, Calif. — Workers in and around Santa Clara County will host the 9th Annual Cesar Chavez Celebration Sunday to remember the contributions of the person who brought better working conditions to people throughout this area.
Join SEIU Local 521 and community members as we honor the birthday of Cesar Estrada Chavez, the only labor leader and person of indigenous heritage (Raramuri from Chihuahua, Mexico area) to have a holiday named in his honor. It has been 19 years since his passing and the principles he lived by continue to inspire farmworkers, community leaders, environmentalists, students, labor, and members the Chicano Movement.
DETAILS:
When: Sunday, April 1, 1 – 5 p.m.
Where: SEIU Local 521, 2302 Zanker Rd., San Jose
Sponsored by: SEIU Local 521 Latino Caucus
Program information and visuals:
The program will open with traditional Danza Azteca Mexica with Calpulli Tonalehqueh, invoking the ancestors and blessing the food and the event. Key note speaker: David Bacon – Award Winning Bay Area author, photojournalist, community and labor activist. Rudy Medina, nephew of Cesar, will speak on Cesar’s legacy and relevance in today’s world. Local acclaimed group Conjunto Libertad will sing songs from the farm workers’ struggle. Native Mexican vendors will sell hand-crafted jewelry, art work, clothing, CDs, DVDs and books. Youth poets will lend their energy and unique flavor to the event. We will end with singing the classic birthday song “Las Mañanitas” to Cesar with a birthday cake.
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The Service Employees International Union is an organization of 2.1 million members united by the belief in the dignity and worth of workers and the services they provide. SEIU is dedicated to improving the lives of workers and their families and creating a more just and humane society. For more information, visit www.seiu521.org
