Statue to honor Latino activists Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta

*A developer, who is paying for the statues, says there aren’t many “representations for Hispanics” in downtown Napa. VL

By Mike Blasky, Napa Valley Register

Two legendary figures who fought for farmworkers’ rights and Hispanic empowerment will be honored next month with statues in downtown Napa.

A celebration is planned for March 29 at Veterans Memorial Park for the unveiling of life-size statues of Cesar Chavez, an iconic Latino labor leader, and Dolores Huerta, who with Chavez co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers of America.

Michael L. Holcomb, a downtown developer, is paying for the statues, and plans to mount them after the ceremony in a second-story outdoor niche at Velo Pizzeria, a building he owns on Main Street facing Veterans park. The statues will be lighted at night, he said.

“There’s not a lot of representation for Hispanics downtown,” said Holcomb, whose wife is Mexican-American. Honoring her heritage – and his children’s heritage – is important for his family, he said.

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