Nat’l Park Service Discusses Cesar Chavez Landmark Possibilites

He’s been hailed a hero and an avid supporter of civil rights and now the National Park Service is examining ways to honor Cesar Chavez.

On Wednesday, the NPS hosted a public forum at Cesar Chavez Elementary School in Coachella and discussed potential landmarks worthy being designated a historical site.

The National Park Service has been directed by congress to conduct a special resource study.

The goal is to identify sites significant to the life of Cesar Chavez and the farm labor movement.

Some of those sites are in the Coachella Valley.

In the 1970s, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park in Coachella behind City Hall was once a strike headquarters for the National Farm Worker Association, which Cesar Chavez co-founded.

The organization is now called United Farm Workers.

“Coachella Valley High School was the site of a substantial major rally in the 1970s — site like that,” said Martha Crusius, a project manager for NPS.

Almost 30 people from the community listened to the presentation and gave their opinions on how they’d like to see the farm workers movement honoree and commemorated.

“Cesar Chavez was trying to change the community and make things better for farm workers and obviously this (was) long in coming,” said Patricia Pion, whose father is a former UFW worker.

Joe Mota, a former regional director for the UFW in Coachella, got his foot in the door with the organization as a volunteer in college and worked his way up the ladder.

He was inspired by Chavez’s fight for equal rights, better pay and working conditions.

“Because of everything Cesar did, he was able to empower a lot of farm workers and show them how to fight for themselves,” said Mota.

The National Park Service will host similar presentation in dozens of cities throughout California and Arizona.

Organizers detailed the study and sites identifies as having historical significance.

They then asked the audience what should be done with them.

Some said they want to see a central library with records from the farm workers movement.

“One perhaps might be a historic trail that links together different significant sites throughout California and Arizona,” said Crusius. “Another opportunity might be a historic site that the National Park Service might own and manage.”

The National Park Service will make a recommendation and present it’s plan to congress.

Congress will then decide what to do.