Posted: March 24, 2015 | Written by Brooke Cary
The kickoff for Cesar Chavez Day celebration will be taking place on the steps of the Martin Luther King Jr. building from 12:50-2 p.m., March 26. Mariaches los Imperiales will be performing songs related to Cesar Chavez and his work. Arturo Armas, a laborer who worked in the fields with Chavez, will be narrating and explaining how each song relates to the labor, safety and non-violence causes Chavez fought for.
Following the mariachi band, an open-mic session will begin for students and faculty to share thoughts about Cesar Chavez day. Fresh fruit and snacks will be served to students in memory of farm laborers.
On March 30, Riverside City College’s cultural diversity group Puente, will be taking charge of the celebration by hosting a festive Danza performance. Danza is a colorful, cultural dance performance similar to the waltz. Two keynote speakers, who worked as activists alongside Chavez will also be speaking at the event between 12:50-1:50 pm on the MLK steps.
The closing ceremony and Tiger Pride day will be held April 2 along Terracina Drive. Music, entertainment and clubs will commemorate Chavez at the event. The Associated Students of Riverside City College will be providing students and staff free tacos and aguas frescas, a fruit-infused water, in honor of farm workers.
Concluding the festivities, the film “Cesar’s Last Fast” will be shown at 6 p.m. in RCC’s Digital Library Auditorium. Puente will be at the Auditorium fundraising at 5 p.m.
RCC will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its own building dedication to Chavez on April 28 of this year. A plaque was placed on the Admissions and Counseling building in April 1995 in honor of Chavez. The building dedication was backed by “the academic senate, the student senate, the Board of Trustees and the newly created renaming committee,” according to Viewpoints writer Keith Nguyen, who covered the dedication ceremony in May 1995.
As shown in “Cesar’s Last Fast,” Chavez’ tenacity and commitment to the health and safety of workers has captured the attention of both the presidency and laymen. As a result, his sacrifice and persistence for human labor rights is still being recognized in Riverside and nation-wide.
