OPINION: USC must appropriately acknowledge César Chávez’s legacy

Of the 11 state holidays that California recognizes, USC acknowledges and incorporates all but one into its academic calendar: César Chávez Day, which falls on March 31. The University has a plaque in Founder’s Park commemorating his achievements, but other than this meager monument, little has been done to honor his legacy.

With César Chávez Day approaching this Sunday, the University should reflect on Chávez’s legacy — one that emphasizes a commitment to hard work and perseverance. He carried out the first successful attempt at unionizing farm workers, creating the United Farm Workers of America with activist Dolores Huerta in 1962. Under their guidance, the union successfully unionized the grape industry with strikes, pickets and boycotts, including the Delano Grape Strike and a march from Delano to Sacramento.

Prior to Chávez’s leadership, farm workers had little to no rights and no means to fight for basic needs like clean drinking water. His work is expansive and impactful, and his legacy should be celebrated as such by USC.

In his later years, Chávez visited the University Park Campus on three separate occasions in 1982, 1985 and 1989. Although he only had a middle school education and worked as a migrant worker, he saw education as a tool for progress, his eldest son Fernando said in a speech at USC in 2016, the Daily Trojan reported. Chávez also sought to educate the American public about where their food came from, explaining that the farm workers that grew food for the American populace were not able to afford the food, largely because of a denial of basic working conditions and rights that are commonly taken for granted.

Perhaps USC has not recognized César Chávez Day in its academic calendar because of scheduling concerns, since the holiday  falls relatively close to the University’s spring recess. But UCLA observes César Chávez Day, which falls even closer to its spring recess than USC’s. All schools in the University of California system are mandated by state law to observe the holiday, and Claremont McKenna College, a private institution like USC, even commemorates the holiday. Although many other California private schools cite spring recess as an issue, César Chávez Day should be observed across all institutions, public and private, spring recess or not.

Some may belittle setting aside an entire day to commemorate César Chávez as an attempt to obtain an extra day off from  school or work. Ideas like these are cursory oversights of the immense legacy that Chávez has left behind, which ranges from advocating for minority rights to changing the way that fruits and vegetables reach the dinner table in millions of households nationwide. Former President Barack Obama addressed this succinctly when commemorating César Chávez Day in 2012.

“I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate service, community and education programs to honor Cesar Chavez’s enduring legacy,” Obama said according to White House archives.

Furthermore, it is not only a matter of acknowledging Chávez’s impact but also a matter of honoring those that work in the fields for hours upon end, bringing food to millions of Americans nationwide with little thanks or recognition. There’s an estimated three million migrant and seasonal farm workers in the U.S. — although they support a multi-billion dollar agricultural industry, these men and women are often still subject to unfair wages, sexual harassment, dangerous work and living conditions.

Located in a state where migrant farms workers have had a significant influence on culture and economy, USC is in a position to lead by example. Nearly 15 percent of USC students are Latinx, and as such, it is important for the University to step up by engaging with the nearly 30 Latinx related undergraduate organizations under the supervision of El Centro Chicano, according to its website. By directing this engagement through either the Latinx Student Assembly or the Diversity Affairs branch of Undergraduate Student Government, change and advocacy initiatives can be put in the hands of students — whether it is through hosting prominent Latinx speakers or community events.

USC should follow the example set by other universities nationally in acknowledging the legacy of a leader as impactful as Chávez by doing more than just having a relatively unnoticeable plaque honoring him. By acknowledging César Chávez Day, the faculty, staff, administration and students of USC can appropriately remember and celebrate Chávez’s life and work, emulating him by building communal relationships while learning about the importance of the Hispanic civil rights movement.