Cesar Chavez Day, 2012

Proclamation 8786 of March 23, 2012

Cesar Chavez Day, 2012

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

One of our Nation's great civil rights leaders, Cesar
Estrada Chavez came of age as a migrant farm worker,
witnessing the injustice that pervaded fields and
vineyards across California. Facing discrimination,
poverty, and dangerous working conditions, laborers
toiled for little pay and without access to even the
most basic necessities. Yet amidst hardship and abuse,
Cesar Chavez saw the promise of change--the unlimited
potential of a community organized around a common
purpose. Today, we celebrate his courage, reflect on
his lifetime of advocacy, and recognize the power in
each of us to lift up lives and pursue social justice.

Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr., and other visionary leaders, Cesar Chavez based
his campaign on principles of nonviolence, which he
called ``the quality of the heart.'' Through boycotts,
fasts, strikes, and marches that demanded both
endurance and imagination, he drew thousands together
in support of ``La Causa''--a mission to ensure
respect, dignity, and fair treatment for farm workers.
Alongside Dolores Huerta, he founded the United Farm
Workers of America (UFW), an organization tasked with
defending and empowering the men and women who feed the
world.

As a tribute to Cesar Chavez's life and work, my
Administration designated the Forty Acres site in
Delano, California, as a National Historical Landmark
last year, forever commemorating the birthplace of the
UFW. In May 2011, the United States Navy named the USNS
Cesar Chavez in recognition of his service during World
War II. And this month, we honor ten Americans as
Champions of Change for their commitment to realizing
Cesar Chavez's dream of a more just tomorrow. Decades
after his struggle began, Cesar Chavez's legacy lives
on in all who draw inspiration from the values of
service, determination, and community that ignited his
movement.

On the 85th anniversary of Cesar Chavez's birth, we are
reminded of what we can accomplish when we recognize
our common humanity. He told us, ``We cannot seek
achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and
prosperity for our community. Our ambitions must be
broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of
others, for their sakes and for our own.'' As we honor
his broad ambitions and expansive vision, let us pledge
to stand forever on the side of equal opportunity and
justice for all.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim March 31, 2012, as
Cesar Chavez Day. I call upon all Americans to observe
this day with appropriate service, community, and
education programs to honor Cesar Chavez's enduring
legacy.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-third day of March, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.