Want to build the second century of American conservation? Look to César Chávez.

*César Chavez’s son writes about his father as a guide for Latinos as the future of American conservation.  It makes good sense for Latinos to take the lead of the environmental cause. VL


high-country-newsBy Paul F. Chavez, High Country News (3 minute read)

Four years ago this October, President Barack Obama traveled to the very small town of Keene, California, in the foothills of the Tehachapi Mountains. This is the place where my father lived and labored during the last 25 years of his life. President Obama had come to dedicate the César E. Chávez National Monument, making it the National Park Service’s 398th unit and the first to honor a contemporary Latino figure. Just a few weeks before the anniversary of that event later this year, Americans will celebrate a monumental 100th birthday, the centennial of the National Park Service.

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These two milestones are worth applauding. Our national parks, in the words of Ken Burns in his PBS documentary, may well be “America’s best idea,” and celebrating them offers us the chance to reflect on this country’s leadership throughout the world in conservation. The Chávez National Monument also provides a glimpse into what the second century of American conservation could look like.

For generations to come, the Chávez National Monument recognizes my father’s legacy in building the United Farmworkers Union, which still works to remedy abuses of farmworkers. The monument shows visitors how he built a movement that confronted the exploitation and prejudice that farmworkers and other poor people have faced. The monument celebrates the boycotts, fasts, marches and protests that inspired millions of Latinos . . .  READ MORE


Paul F. Chavez is a contributor to Writers on the Range, the opinion service of High Country News.He is president of the César Chávez Foundation, which partners with the National Park Service in managing the César E. Chávez National Monument in California.

[Photo via Wikimedia]

Suggested reading

my_migrant_family_story In this bilingual collection of short vignettes, García remembers her family’s life as migrant workers in the 1970s. Every year, they packed their red, Ford pick-up and left McAllen, Texas. The children’s excitement soon waned during the long drive through Texas, but grew as they passed the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and skyscrapers in Chicago. Finally, they arrived at their destination: the Ponderosa in Coloma, Michigan.
The family worked year in and year out for the same patrón, who allowed them to live in a house they called the Ponderosa, named for the big house in the TV show Bonanza. It was surrounded by fields full of fruits: an apple orchard lay to the east; a peach orchard was on the other side. There were strawberry patches, cherry trees and a grape vineyard.
García’s family worked long, back-breaking hours for a pittance, but they were together and their love for each other pulled them through. García was nine when her father found a full-time job in McAllen and their migrant life came to an end. “We missed the adventure of travel and sightseeing, but we didn’t miss the hard, back-breaking work.” Staying in one place allowed the kids to focus on school, ensuring that they never had to do that back-breaking work again. This is a heartfelt recollection of the life of migrant workers.
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