César Chávez Holiday On Chopping Block In Texas

In Texas currently there is a César Chávez Day, an optional state holiday that public institutions may elect as one of the 12 they celebrate every year. Recently, the University of Texas at El Paso — which has a student body that’s 76% Latino — eliminated the holiday as part of a reshuffling of holidays. So, in El Paso, March 31 will be a day of classes, instead of a day off to commemorate Chávez’s legacy.

This is a holiday that’s been observed in California since 1995, Texas since 1999 and Colorado since 2003.

While the dust was settling from the UTEP decision, Texas state rep Tyron Lewis of Odessa decided to file a bill to eliminate the holiday all together as an optional state holiday. Lewis wants to eliminate César Chávez Day and replace it with Texas Hispanic Heritage Day. Kind of sounds like something you do to avoid being called a “racist.” Odessa, incidentally, was slightly more Latino than white in the 2000 Census and I’d be willing to be Latinos have continued to grow as a share of the population there since.

Instead of getting mad about this, I just think it’s lame. There’s only one real reason anyone would want to undo a holiday — to make a political point — and in this case the point is that Latinos don’t, or shouldn’t, matter. Texas State Rep Roberto R. Alonzo of Dallas says it better in an editorial he wrote:

“I find the filing of HB 505 by my colleague Rep. Lewis eliminating Cesar Chavez Day in Texas as an optional holiday, as a slap in the face, not only to migrant farmworkers, but to Hispanics all over the state and nation, but most particularly in Texas where we have already become the majority population  in the state, and growing.  The monumental civil rights icon, labor rights activists, representative for so many average day workers deserves better.  By eliminating Cesar Chavez Day as a holiday in Texas we are in essence turning back history and telling all Hispanics, particularly our children and grandchildren, that if you accomplish great things and make a positive difference in improving the quality of life for others, you will not be recognized if you are a migrant, Hispanic, or other minority.  That to me, is shameful.  HB 505 is nothing more than an ultra-conservative, right-wing, anti-Hispanic, and anti-immigrant measure that will only serve to continue to hold back and reverse the advancements that we as Hispanics have struggled so much and hard for to improve the lives of Hispanics all over Texas and the nation.”