House Committee Holds Hearing on Solis' Bill to Honor Latinos and Environment

Today, Congresswoman Hilda L. Solis (D-CA), a Member of the House Natural Resources Committee and Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Task Force on Health and Environment, testified before the Natural Resources Committee in support of H.R. 359, legislation she introduced to authorize the National Park Service to determine ways to tell the story of Cesar E. Chavez and the farm labor movement in the National Park System. H.R. 359 has broad, bipartisan support and previously passed the U.S. Senate unanimously. Sens. McCain (R-AZ) and Salazar (D-CO) have reintroduced the Senate companion. This hearing coincides with Chavez's birthday on March 31st. Prepared remarks follow.

"Chairman Grijalva and Ranking Member Bishop, thank you for allowing me to testify today in support of H.R. 359, legislation I introduced to honor and recognize Cesar Chavez. I would like to thank my colleagues, Senators McCain and Salazar, who have championed this legislation in the Senate and the nearly 60 of my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats, who have cosponsored this bill in the House.

"Cesar Estrada Chavez was a second-generation American who was born in Yuma, Arizona. His family lost everything during the Great Depression and wandered the southwestern United States with thousands of other farm worker families.

"He courageously took up causes to improve the life of farm worker families, and as a result many farm worker families have benefited from the results of Chavez' missions, including fair wages, health care coverage, pension benefits, housing improvements, and pesticide and health regulations. These changes have meant considerable improvements for the life of the farm worker, three-fourths of which are Latino.But his contributions extend farm beyond the lives of farm workers and well beyond any imaginable political limitations.

"Chavez was a humble man who knew the importance of hard work and sacrifice and valued community and family. A student of Ghandi's non-violent philosophies, he taught the importance of non-violence, peace, and patience as tools of change. He taught that if we ‘have the capacity to endure, if we have the patience, things will change.' Chavez valued equity, responsibility, and faith.

"Since I was a young Latina, Cesar Chavez has been my inspiration. While my parents strongly encouraged my siblings and I to work hard, get a good education, believe in one self and respect the environment, society was not as supportive. Few Latinos and even fewer Latinas were breaking glass ceilings. My parents could not afford to take my siblings and me on vacations, but nonetheless taught us to respect the environment, value and appreciate what we have, and work hard for that we did not have. For many like my family, the phrase ‘Si Se Puede!' touches at the core of our being. Through Cesar Chavez' experience and teachings, we know that it can be done.

"Cesar Chavez' work inspired me to find ways to help others and led me to civil service where I strive to do the best I can for those I represent, regardless of race, color, creed or political affiliation. Chavez strongly understood the importance of the land and the value of the environment in connection to ones health and economic stability.

"For many Latinos, this appreciation of the environment is cultural. Yet there is not a single unit of the National Park System dedicated to Latinos. It is my hope that one day Latino families have a place in the National Park Service where they can appreciate, honor and learn about Cesar Chavez's work and beliefs, just as African American families can visit the Martin Luther King, Jr. historical site and the Selma-Montgomery trail.

"Others support this goal also. I would like to insert into the record a list of organizations and persons which support passage of this legislation, including a resolution passed by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, a letter from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa of the City of Los Angeles, and endorsements by the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the National Hispanic Environmental Council, the National Parks Conservation Association, Southern California Edison, and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.

"Additionally, the U.S. Department of Labor includes Cesar Chavez in its Labor Hall of Fame and the United States Postal Service has a dedicated stamp in his honor. Some, as we will hear today, contend that Cesar Chavez' beliefs are not worthy of memorializing.

Those who advocate that position fundamentally misunderstand the purpose of my legislation.

"H.R. 359 is not a memorial bill. H.R. 359 simply authorizes a study to determine whether sufficient historic resources still exist, so his story and the story of the farm labor movement could be added to the National Park System. The issue before us in this legislation is not the rightness of his cause, but the significance of his cause. The significance of his cause cannot be denied.

"Cesar Chavez's work to protect health, the environment and workers' rights paved the way for people like me to use my voice to fight for greater equality, to be courageous, and to bring justice to those who cannot achieve it themselves. Through this legislation, future generations of young Latinos and Latinas may have the opportunity to understand who Cesar Chavez was, the significance of his work, and know that yes, it can be done.

"Thank you again Chairman Grijalva and Ranking Member Bishop for your time today. I hope we can all work together to honor both Latinos and the environment via this legislation."

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