[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 11] [House] [Pages 14287-14289] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]CESAR CHAVEZ POST OFFICE Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 925) to redesignate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1859 South Ashland Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, as the ``Cesar Chavez Post Office''. The Clerk read as follows: H.R. 925 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. CESAR CHAVEZ POST OFFICE. (a) Redesignation.--The facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1859 South Ashland Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, and known as the Pilsen Post Office, shall be known and designated as the ``Cesar Chavez Post Office''. (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States to the facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be a reference to the Cesar Chavez Post Office. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen). General Leave Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 925. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Florida? There was no objection. Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 925, introduced by my distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Gutierrez), redesignates this postal facility in Chicago, Illinois, as the Cesar Chavez Post Office Building. This legislation deals with an American civil rights advocate. Cesar Chavez grew up as a migrant agrarian worker after being born in Arizona in 1927. As a young adult he became involved in the Community Service Organization and ultimately rose to the position of general director in 1958. Four years later, Cesar Chavez left the CSO to join with some of his fellow wine grape pickers and form the National Farm Workers Association. This organization was active in acquiring service contracts from major growers in California. His ambition led him to merge the National Farm Workers Association with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee of the giant labor umbrella organization, the AFL-CIO. The upshot group became called the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee. In 1972, Cesar Chavez's organization became a member union of the AFL-CIO and he was named president. In this role, Cesar Chavez's influence only expanded, and he coordinated activities on agricultural issues. Cesar Chavez will be remembered for his stands in support of workers, in support of their wages and their rights, and the difference he has made in the lives of all current and future workers. His advocacy has led to countless agreements between business and labor on a variety of important issues. So my colleague from Illinois wants to name this post office for labor leader Cesar Chavez, and, therefore, Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support passage of H.R. 925. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleague in consideration of H.R. 925, legislation redesignating a postal facility after Cesar Chavez, a fighter for dignity, human rights, and livable working conditions. H.R. 925, which was introduced by my good friend and colleague, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Gutierrez), on February 26, 2003, has met the committee policy and has been cosponsored by the entire Illinois delegation. Cesar Estrada Chavez, the founding leader of the first successful farm workers union, was born on March 31, 1927, near Yuma, Arizona, the second of six children. Cesar began working as a migrant worker when the family lost their land during the Depression. When he was 11 years old, the Chavez family followed the crop picking and moved to California, living in the trucks they drove. Although working in the fields and attending school was difficult, if not impossible, Cesar managed to do both and graduated from the eighth grade. Shortly afterwards, he joined the Navy. After his tour of duty, he began teaching Mexican farm workers to read and write so that they could take the test and become American citizens. This activity marked the beginning of Cesar's efforts to improve working conditions for migrant workers. Cesar Chavez founded the National Farm Workers Association in Delano, California, and in 1965 joined an AFL-CIO union strike against Delano Table and Wine Growers. This successful 5-year strike led supporters to the United Farm Workers, a national group of unions, churches, students, minorities and others. It became affiliated with the AFL-CIO. Cesar continued organizing workers, strike after strike. And he produced results. Farm workers gained collective bargaining rights and under union contracts enjoyed higher pay, health care and pension benefits. In 1984, Cesar called for another grape boycott, to protest the pesticide poisoning of grape workers and their farmers. Cesar Chavez passed away at the age of 66 on April 12, 1993. Before he died, he received the Aztec Eagle, Mexico's highest award given to people of Mexican heritage who have made major contributions outside of Mexico. On August 8, 1994, President William Clinton posthumously awarded Mr. Chavez the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in America. Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague for seeking to honor the legacy of Cesar Estrada Chavez, and urge swift passage of this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to my friend, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Gutierrez), the sponsor of this legislation. Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend for yielding me time, and I thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for her work on the consideration of this bill today. I would like to also thank all of the staff members who worked tirelessly in making this possible, and specifically I would like to thank my good friend Danielle Simonetta and Michael Layman from the majority side for all of the work they have done in making this bill. And I say to Danielle specifically that my daughter sends her good wishes. She is doing better, and she is real excited about Cesar Chavez and the opportunity for the action that we can afford his life here today. Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate today the life and legacy of Cesar Chavez and [[Page 14288]] to recognize his passion for empowering workers and for defending the rights of the disadvantaged. The legislation we are considering today, H.R. 925, would designate a United States Postal Service facility at 1859 South Ashland Avenue in my district as the Cesar Chavez Post Office. The facility would serve as a permanent tribute and a lasting reminder of the selflessness and self-sacrifice that embodied Chavez's life and work. Mr. Speaker, this is not the first time a legislative body has paused to honor Cesar Chavez, and it is my hope it will not be the last. The more buildings, the more streets, the more stamps and the more parks that are designated, the more we can keep Cesar Chavez's principles, his passion and devotion alive, and the more we will be able to encourage others to continue the unfinished business that Cesar Chavez left behind, to take up his fight and his causes and to make similar sacrifices in the name of justice and dignity. Throughout history, there have been few individuals that have done more, that have fought harder or sacrificed as much to ensure dignity and decency for all workers than Cesar Chavez. The late Senator Robert F. Kennedy called him one of the heroic figures of our time. Cesar Chavez remains a champion to working people around the world and an inspiration to generations of Latinos, both here in this country and abroad, and his accomplishments are an enduring symbol and a shining example of what one man can achieve in the fight for fairness. Cesar Chavez stood up to the biggest, the most well-financed and the strongest corporate growers. He fought for farm workers who spent countless hours doing our Nation's most arduous and strenuous work. {time} 1500 He defended men and women crippled by despair and deplorable working conditions, so that they too could have a say in the fight for reasonable and respectable wages. Chavez fought for the most basic and the most fundamental and the most essential rights for workers. He fought so that growers would not spray pesticides while workers were in the fields. He fought so that they could have a clean water system and decent housing. And his actions and hard work were vital in achieving better pay for migrant farmers, to banning child labor abuses, and to mitigating the proliferation of sexual harassment of women workers. Cesar Chavez's courage and his character helped strengthen the farm workers movement, and his principles of nonviolence continue to play an important role in the quest for social justice and human rights and for a world without prejudice or injustice. Mr. Speaker, for everyone who has ever fought for fairness, Chavez is a model and a true mentor. Because he refused to let bigotry and bias go unchallenged, workers are better protected and represented today. Because he refused to respond to discrimination and intolerance with silence, we live in a better and more inclusive America. According to Chavez, ``The truest act of courage, the strongest act of manliness, is to sacrifice ourselves for others in a totally nonviolent struggle for justice. To be a man is to suffer for others.'' At the time those eloquent words were articulated, Chavez was too weak to speak them himself. He was fasting in protest of violence against workers, and his speech had to be read by someone else. Throughout his life, Chavez never relented, he never backed down, and he never wavered from his commitment to nonviolence. When he passed away in 1993, more than 50,000 people attended his funeral to pay homage and their respects to a man who fought so fearlessly, so tirelessly for those not always heard or even seen in our society. A reporter wrote, ``During the vigil at the open casket on the day before the funeral, an old man lifted a child up to show him the small, gray-haired man who laid inside. `I am going to tell you about this man some day, he said.''' The legislation we are discussing today would ensure that countless others remember to tell their children about this man, about his life, his lessons, and his legacy. It will also help educate tomorrow's leaders about the characteristics that they should appreciate, about the achievements that they celebrate, and about the types of individuals that they should emulate. Mr. Speaker, in the year since his passing, Chavez has been awarded many of our Nation's highest honors, including the 1994 Medal of Freedom. And the passage of this legislation, I believe, would serve as another important and lasting testament to the outstanding work of Cesar Chavez. At the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco, Chavez said, ``The consciousness and pride that were raised by our union are alive and thriving inside millions of young Hispanics who will never work on a farm.'' And we must work to keep that consciousness and pride alive in future generations. We must work to keep the consciousness and pride alive as we advocate for a new generation of immigrant workers. Every time someone in my community drops off a letter, goes to buy a stamp, or passes by the post office, they will be able to remember Cesar Chavez's life, remember his accomplishments, appreciate his vision and, ideally, summon the strength to embody his teaching in their daily activities. It will also serve as a focal point in a vibrant and growing Pilsen community and as a reminder of the challenges we face today. Mr. Speaker, Cesar Chavez gave workers everywhere a reason to believe and a reason to dream. He inspired them, with his desire and discipline, to stand together and to do better and to reach farther. And in doing so, he gave so many the courage and the strength to fight for equity and equality. That is why I urge the passage of this important legislation. In ending, Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my friends again, the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen), and my dear friend, the gentleman from Chicago, Illinois (Mr. Davis), who I know when we finally get this legislation approved will be standing with me in inaugurating this wonderful new post office for Cesar Chavez. Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I do not believe we have any additional requests for time, but I yield myself such time as I may consume to note that I was pleased to have the opportunity to be in the company of Caesar Chavez on several occasions, at rallies, demonstrations, marches, and on picket lines, even in Chicago where there were no farms. It is an excellent way of remembering the great contributions that he has made. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers. Again, I want to thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Gutierrez), my good friend, for introducing this measure, and I urge all Members to support the adoption of this resolution. Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 925, a bill to designate a U.S. Post Office in Chicago, IL the ``Cesar Chavez Post Office.'' I can think of no one more deserving of such an honor than the great civil rights leader, Cesar Chavez. I want to commend my colleague, Representative Gutierrez, for his leadership in bringing this legislation before the House and I am proud to join him as an original cosponsor. Cesar Chavez was an organizer, an activist, a protestor, a farm worker, a peace-lover, a father, and a son. Raised in a family of farm workers forced to migrate throughout the Southwest, Chavez was led by his compassion, his ability to inspire others to action, and his deep sense of fairness and equality to organize and establish what is today the United Farmworkers of America. Because of his efforts, many farm workers today enjoy higher pay, family health coverage, pension benefits, and other contract protections. While we still have a long way to go in giving farm workers the fair pay and healthy work conditions they deserve, Cesar Chavez laid the foundation toward accomplishing those important goals. Cesar Chavez understood what it took to create a movement and he dedicated every part of his life to setting an example and leading the way. As a child and young man, he experienced firsthand the harsh working conditions of farm workers--the long hours, poverty [[Page 14289]] wages, harassment, and abuse--as well as the limited access to education and health care. Understanding and addressing the roots of the problem, Chavez was able to make a lasting and significant impact. He conducted voter registration drives and campaigns against racial and economic discrimination. He led boycotts and pickets and hunger strikes. His nonviolent methods echoed those of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. He showed us all how critical it is to organize people, to unify them for a cause, and to help them believe in themselves and their ability to make a difference. Cesar Chavez continues to be an example for us today. He taught us that ``Si se puede,'' or ``Yes we can.'' We can--and we must--help those with no voice, help those who are discriminated against, help those who are taken advantage of, and help those who live in poverty and are struggling to survive. If Cesar Chavez were alive today, I am sure he would still be leading the fight for fairness and equality for workers and their families. We must not let his legacy die; we must not let his great strides forward become giant steps backward. We must continue to work for what is right. I urge my colleagues to vote yes on H.R. 925. Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in solidarity with my colleagues to honor the enduring legacy of Mr. Cesar Estrada Chavez. Mr. Chavez was born of humble beginnings in 1933 near Yuma, Arizona. Early in life, Mr. Chavez was forced to recognize the harsh realities of racism that all too often plagued communities of color. After his family's home and land were taken from them, Mr. Chavez knew first hand what it meant to be the victim of gross injustice. Yet despite this and similar experiences of discrimination, Mr. Chavez was not deterred. He often said that, ``the love for justice that is in us is not only the best part of our being but also the most true to our nature.'' In 1945, Mr. Chavez joined the U.S. Navy and served in the Western Pacific during the end of WWII. After completing his military service, Mr. Chavez returned to his roots, working and laboring in the fields. By day Mr. Chavez picked apricots in an orchard outside of San Jose; by night he was actively involved in galvanizing voter registration drives. In 1952, Mr. Chavez was a full time organizer with the Chicago- based Community Service Organization (CSO). Not only did he coordinate voter registration drives, but he battled racial and economic discrimination against Chicano residents and organized new CSO chapters across California and Arizona as well. In 1962, Mr. Chavez moved his wife and eight young children to California where he founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA). Cesar Chavez founded and led the first successful farm workers' union in U.S. history. In 1968, Mr. Chavez conducted a 25-day fast to reaffirm the United Farm Workers commitment to nonviolence. The late Senator Robert F. Kennedy called Cesar Chavez ``one of the heroic figures of our time'', and actually flew to be with Mr. Chavez when he ended his fast. In 1991, Mr. Chavez received the Aguila Azteca (The Aztec Eagle), Mexico's highest award presented to people of Mexican heritage who have made significant contributions outside of Mexico. Mr. Cesar Chavez passed away on April 23, 1993, at the age of 66. At the time of his death he was the president of the United Farm Workers of America, AFL- CIO. On August 8, 1994 Cesar became the second Mexican American to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States. The award was presented posthumously by then president, Bill Clinton. Given the immense and innumerable contributions that Mr. Cesar Chavez has made to our society in advocating for the rights and causes of the working poor, I hope that my colleagues will join me in voting affirmatively that the U.S. Postal Service Facility located at 1859 Southland Avenue in Chicago, Illinois be designated at the ``Cesar Chavez Post Office''. Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Duncan). The question is on the motion offered by the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 925. The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. ____________________