The presidential elections are only several weeks away and Obama is taking out his last best cards. Barack Obama honors César Chávez with national monument, in a last attempt to get hispanic voters by his side.
Whereas Mitt Romney has been witnessing support taking a plunge, Obama is drawing out the last cards to make sure voters remain by his side. A press release from the White House reads that President Obama has decided to establish a national monument in honor of César Chávez at his property in Keene, California.
“César Chávez gave a voice to poor and disenfranchised workers everywhere” reads the official statement. Obama will visit César Chávez’ property in California next week to establish the monument. The honor includes the former national headquarters of the United Farm Workers, the home and workplace of César Chávez until his death. The grave site is also included in the César Chávez National Monument.
“La Paz was at the center of some of the most significant civil rights moments in our nation’s history, and by designating it a national monument, Chávez’ legacy will be preserved and shared to inspire generations to come” reads the president’s statement.
The White House press release reads that “Chávez played a central role in achieving basic worker protections for hundreds of thousands of farmworkers across the country”. He was behind “provisions ensuring drinking water was provided to workers in the field, to steps that helped limit workers’ exposure to dangerous pesticides, to helping to establish basic minimum wages and health care access for farm workers”.
Paul F. Chávez, president of the César Chávez Foundation, said the family and the organization is happy his father is getting this honor. “…the story of La Paz, which was a spiritual harbor and a place where my dad and thousands of selfless people worked for social justice over the years, will forever be shared with the nation through the National Park Service” said Paul F. Chávez.
The César Chávez National Monument is the fourth of its kind that Obama designated in his term through the use of the Antiquities Act. It joins Fort Monroe in Virginia, Fort Ord in California and Chimney Rock in Colorado.
