Graduates in the Image of César Chávez
Julia Chávez Rodríguez

(Julia Chávez Rodríguez is the granddaughter of United Farm Workers of America founder César Chávez, and the daughter of Arturo Rodríguez, current UFW president. Julia, 27, is program director with the César Chávez Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization founded in 1993 by César’s family and friends to educate the public, particularly youth, about Chávez’s life and values and to engage them to find his vision for a better world. This column is excerpted from the author’s June 10 graduation ceremony address at César Chávez Public Charter High School for Public Policy in Washington, D.C.)

I have a long and strong family history that provided me with the opportunities I have today. My grandparents and my parents taught me not to be afraid, to stand up for what I believe in. They taught me that no matter how old I was, I can make a difference in my community and bring about true social change.

I used to tell my mother when I was four, “I can’t wait until I turn five.”

My mother would look at me strangely and say, “Mija, what is so special about turning five?”

I answered, “Well, that is when I can get a job. My sister had a job at five so I want a job at five also.”

So sure enough, at five I had my first work experience, volunteering with the farmworkers’ movement.

My grandfather once said, “We can choose to use our lives for others, to bring about a better and more just world for our children. People who make that choice will know hardship and sacrifice. But if you give yourself totally for the non-violent struggle for peace and justice, you will also find that people will give you their hearts and you will never go hungry and never be alone. And you will discover a whole new life full of meaning and love.”

The importance of that quote is that the choice is ours as individuals. You students have made that choice through the past four years of commitment and dedication at this school and through your public policy efforts.

At the age of seven I realized the importance of that commitment and choices an individual can make. I remember sitting at the dinner table and looking at my food. I thought to myself I wonder where this potato comes from and I wonder who picked this broccoli.

At that point I realized what the efforts of my grandfather and others were about. They were about providing opportunities for individuals who too often went unnoticed, existing in the shadows of our nation. I began to realize that the people who had brought food to my table often did not have food to put on their own table. That is when I knew my choice would be to live my life for the service of others.

One of the main reasons I was able to make that commitment at such a young age was because I had strong role models around me, people who were dedicating their lives to improve communities and the lives of others. That was an awesome and amazing thing.

My cousin often joked that our families instead of going on family picnics went on family pickets. We were raised on the picket line in front of grocery stores, and on boycotts. I was arrested on a couple of occasions — at very young age — for exercising that freedom of speech and choice that we have in this wonderful country.

After school and on vacations, many of us volunteered our time for the farmworkers’ movement. That afforded me some strong values that I otherwise would not have been exposed to, one of the strongest being non-violence.

In 1988, my grandfather was on his third public fast, where he fasted for 36 days without food, drinking water only. I was ten years old and it was difficult for me to see my grandfather in that way. During that time, I was in front of a supermarket handing out leaflets and I encountered a woman who was not very sympathetic for our cause. Immediately upon recognizing the UFW eagle, she said, “I hope he dies this time.”

That was the worst thing that anyone had said to me in my life. I wanted to hurt her the way she hurt me. But I just stood there.

That evening I told my grandfather what happened and how mad I was at myself for not doing anything.

He looked at me and smiled, and he said, “Mija, the next time something like that happens to you, look them in the eye and tell them that I am sure that you are in his prayers, too.”

That was not the answer I was looking for. Only much later did I began to understand what he was saying to me that day. For him, nonviolence wasn’t a tactic or strategy for organizing. It was about respecting all people regardless of their opinions. It was a powerful testament of the example he set for all of us.

The beautiful thing is, although many of you did not necessarily grow up in the farmworkers’ movement, your experience at Chavez is a very similar one.

You have been exposed to the same role models that I have. You conducted projects that benefited your community. You worked in organizations on issues that you cared about and that were compelling to the community. That is what it truly means to carry on the legacy of my grandfather.

César Chávez confronted many of the same challenges you will face — job, fear, frustration, anger. My grandfather had a vision and a goal to improve the lives and working conditions of migrant workers. He took action on that goal by working everyday of his life to ensure it was accomplished. He did not allow anyone or anything to get in the way.

Whenever he was confronted with doubt or fear his motto was “Sí, se puede.” Yes, it can be done. Whenever someone said he would fail, he simply said, “Sí, se puede.” Even when people would spit in his face and call him names like dirty Mexican, he would respond simply, ”Sí se puede.”

In a speech my grandfather made over 20 years ago, he stated that once social change begins, it cannot be reversed. You cannot uneducate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate a person who feels pride. You cannot affect the people who are not afraid anymore.

If you have already identified that goal, then view life today as a recommitment and do not allow anything or anyone to get in the way. Whether it is politics, community organizing, business, labor, environment, education or something I failed to mention, never forget the lessons you have learned here at Chávez. Never forget the integrity, leadership and the commitment to the community César Chávez exemplified. Never forget that you can and will make a difference in you community.

Gandhi once said we must be the change we wish to see in the world. You all have been that change over the past four years at Chávez. Now it is time to go out and change the world. You are the future, you give us hope, you are César Chávez. Sí, se puede.

(Julia Chávez Rodriguez may be contacted by e-mail at jrodriguez@cecfmail.org.)

© 2005, Hispanic Link News Service
06/26/05
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