Cesar Chavez Home to Become a National Monument

President Obama is scheduled to establish the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument in Keene, Calif., during a campaign swing next week.

As part of a campaign sweep next week, President Barack Obama will designate the California home of labor leader Cesar Chavez as a national monument, the White House announced this week.

The process to establish the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument in Keene, Calif., started seven years ago under the Bush Administration.

Chavez is buried at the estate, which he affectionately called La Paz, or "the peace." His headstone sits outside the place he once called home.

"He showed people that, if you work hard and never give up, you can make a difference," said Paul Chavez, Founder of the Chavez Foundation.

Chavez said his father gave hope to a generation against insurmountable odds.

"You take the weakest and poorest element of society," he said, "and they were taking on the biggest and the strongest industry in the state."

Cesar Chavez's famous grape boycott of the 1960s was the springboard to new legislation for farm workers nationwide. The story behind his life and his work lies within the walls of his old office, now part of the visitor center at the Chavez Center.

The office along with his home and his graveside garden will make up the new national monument. The Chavez family says it will be another moment to remember that you can achieve anything if you believe enough in it.

"Fight the tough fight," said Paul Chavez, “because you believe you can make a difference."

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us