¡Viva Chávez!

Updated on the Ides of May 2017

New TV programs coming soon. Watch this website.

News / Noticias

On Cinco de Mayo, 2012, at Barrio Logan, the Navy cargo ship U.S.N.S. César Chávez was christened.
(©ourtesy of Dennis Myers' Daily Almanac)

César Chávez Celebration XVI / Celebración de César Chávez XVI
Saturday 31 March 2018
/ Sabado 31 de Marzo 2018
Circus Circus - Reno

Halls of Fame and Glory
Barbwire by Andres Luis Barbáno / Expanded from the 4-4-2017 Sparks Tribune


Listen to the man himself / entravista con César Chávez

SPECIAL BULLETIN 31 March 2017 (U-News) — An archival interview with César Chávez will air this evening on the Sacramento/Lake Tahoe/Reno-Sparks-Carson City NPR Radio station 90.5-fm | 91.3-fm Stockton/Modesto | 88.1-fm Quincy. It was recorded when César Chávez and more than 10,000 marchers arrived in Sacramento. They included Nevada César Chávez Day stalwarts Mary Valencia Wilson, Maria Zamora and José Refugio Rubio Avalos. Times: 7:00 p.m. PDT/10:00 p.m. EDT/02:00 GMT/SUT. Spread the word. ¡ se puede!

The César Chávez Long March
by Reno artist Erik Holland


The original watercolor was displayed for several years in the Nevada Legislature offices of Sen. (now Congressman) Ruben Kihuen, D-Las Vegas, prime sponsor of the 2009 César Chávez Day bill.

Copyright © 2009 Erik Holland. All rights reserved.

On March 31, 1927, César Chávez was born near Yuma, Arizona. On this date in 2017, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval was timely for once and declared today César Chávez Day in the Silver State. Although invited, he did not attend this week's annual celebration. Hope springs eternal for March 31, 2018, at Circus Circus in Reno.

César Chávez Celebration XV / XV Celebración del día de César Chávez
Wednesday 29 March 2017
/ Miércoles Marzo 29, 2017
Mandalay Ballroom / Circus Circus Reno
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. / Dinner at 7:00 p.m.

Thanks to everyone who attended and made it another memorable and record-breaking event. Former State Sen. Joe Neal, D-North Las Vegas, inducted recently retired Nevada State AFL-CIO Executive Secretary-Treasurer Danny Thompson into the César Chávez NevadaLabor.com Hall of Fame. Fellow Hall-of-Famer Bob Price, D-North Las Vegas, attended with his wife, former University of Nevada Regent Nancy Price. Assemblymember Skip Daly, D-Sparks, was recognized for his continuing support and that of his union, Laborers' Local 169. Reno City Councilmembers Jenny Brekhus, Naomi Duerr and Paul McKenzie honored César Chávez with their presence. Ramon and Heather Chávez represented the César Chávez family, as always. Please place Saturday, 31 March 2018, on your calendar for César Chávez XVI at Circus Circus in Reno. ¡Sí se puede!

ticket info/boletos


2017 Sponsorship and ticket prices
Previous sponsors and ticketholders will be given preference.

MAJOR SPONSORSHIPS

PLATINUM $ 8,500

  • Sponsorship of Nevada Labor Hall of Fame César Chávez Awards
  • Inclusion on all mass media including radio and television
  • Reserved Table for 10
  • Major sponsorship credit on all media
  • Logo and links at the César Chávez section at NevadaLabor.com
  • Event onsite credit: Wall banner; distribution of literature and display table if needed; event program credit and recognition from the podium.

GOLD: $ 6,500

  • Reserved Table for 10
  • Half of Platinum Package radio/tv spot schedule
  • Logo and links at the César Chávez section at NevadaLabor.com
  • Event onsite credit: Wall banner; distribution of literature and display table if needed; event program credit and recognition from the podium.

SILVER: $1,950

  • Reserved Table for 10
  • Sponsorship credit on event program
  • Mass media promotional inclusion as available
  • Logo and links at the César Chávez section at NevadaLabor.com

BRONZE and BRONZEx2: Reserved Table for 10

  • Purchased on or before March 23, 2016: $ 785.00
  • Purchased March 24 or thereafter: $ 825.00
  • BRONZEx2 —> Buy 2 and save $100 or more
    On or before March 23, 2 Tables for 10 @ $ 735 per table = $1,470.00 for 2
    Purchased March 24 or thereafter, 2 @ $ 795 each = $ 1,590.00 for 2

Individual Tickets

Purchased on or before March 23, 2016: $ 85 per person
Thereafter or at the door: $ 90 per person


Seniors 65+ or students (with student i.d.)
     Purchased on or before March 23: $ 40 per person
     Thereafter or at the door: $ 45 per person

      Children under 12: $ 30.00

     If you cannot attend or send representatives, please consider purchasing tickets which we will donate with your compliments to students, seniors and those of limited resources.

     Please make checks payable to
         
U-News
          P.O. Box 10034
          Reno, NV 89510

Or use PayPal online, below.

Thanks for your consideration.

In Solidarity,

Andrew Barbano
CesarChavezNevada.com
NevadaLabor.com
Barbwire.TV
(775) 786-1455
Fax (775) 747-0979


Use your credit or debit card through E-Bay's secure PayPal system


Please contact us immediately with any questions.
We reserve the right to turn down any sale or admission.

Major sponsors are donating portions of their ticket blocks so that area students may participate. Anyone planning to attend, even if your tickets are included in a sponsor or media package, should call for reservations which are required because of limited seating. Thanks for your patience.

News / Noticias

Washoe County Commission proclaims César Chávez Day / del dia de César Chávez 2017

César Chávez Celebration XV
Wednesday 29 March 2017 / Mandalay Ballroom / Circus Circus Reno
XV Celebración del día de César Chávez
Miércol
es, Marzo 29 2017
En el Mandalay Ballroom / Circus Circus Reno, Nevada

RENO, Nevada, USA — Nevada César Chávez Celebration XV happens Wednesday, March 29, 2017, at Circus Circus Hotel-Casino in Reno. Doors to the Mandalay Ballroom open at 5:30 p.m., dinner at 7:00 p.m.


     Las Vegas 8-14-1992 — César Chávez with picketers at the Frontier Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. The Frontier strike lasted more than eight years and garnered worldwide attention as the longest-running strike in the country. The union won.
(Photo courtesy of Culinary Workers Union Local 226.)

 

Entertainment will again be provided by popular local musicians César Perez and Ángel Rodriguez. Ballet Folklorico de La Sierra is also making a repeat engagement after being the hit of the evening last year.

As always, the event will have both light and serious aspects. Past evenings have included presentations from undocumented U.S. residents nicknamed "Dreamers" who came here as small children and by supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. (After four decades of trying, the latter passed the Nevada Legislature last week.)

With the legislature now in session, a number of lawmakers may attend as they have in the past. NevadaLabor.com César Chávez Hall of Famers Darlene Jesperson, Joe Neal and Bob Price will also be present. The event will be digitized and segments will be used in an upcoming TV special.

A new television campaign for César Chávez XV broke earlier this week on KTVN TV-2 sponsored by Laborers' International Union Local 169, the major supporter of the annual event for the past decade.

The video features César Chávez meeting with Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, D-NY, and marching with San Francisco Mayor George Moscone. One segment shows Washoe County Commissioner Kitty Jung greeting Librado "Lee" Chávez at the 2008 celebration. A familiar face in Reno, Lee Chávez passed away last year, as did Mrs. Helen Chávez, César's widow. Their contributions will be remembered Wednesday evening.

Longtime Reno resident Ramon Chávez, César's nephew and Librado's son, accepted the Washoe County Commission's annual Chávez Day proclamation last week. Ramon Chávez and his wife, Heather, will again represent their family on Wednesday.

The TV campaign also includes scenes of César Chávez marching with Culinary Union leaders D. Taylor and Geoconda Arguello-Kline during the Frontier Hotel Strike on the Las Vegas Strip. The union went on to win what became the longest strike in U.S. history. Culinary Local 226 represents the Circus Circus workers who will cater Wednesday's event.

The food will be authentic Mexican as certified by Rep. Ruben Kihuen, D-Nev. Before he was elected to Congress last year, Kihuen praised the hotel's cuisine as the real thing. He is well-qualified to judge because he was born in Mexico. While serving in the Nevada Legislature, Kihuen was the principal sponsor of the 2009 César Chávez Day bill which is now state law. (Nevada Revised Statutes 236.027/AB301-Kihuen et al./2009). He delivered the event's keynote address on several occasions.

Long before he became an international figure, César Chávez traveled to northern Nevada on worker business, according to Reno-Sparks NAACP matriarch Dolores Feemster who met with him in the 1960s. As usual, NAACP representatives will be registering voters Wednesday night.

Reno's first César Chávez Day was declared on July 15, 1986, by then-Mayor Pete Sferrazza. Chávez spoke before a regional gathering of the International Association of Machinists, then to a general meeting of union members at the American Federation of Musicians Local 368 auditorium. History and photos of that day and all recent celebrations may be accessed at CesarChavezNevada.com/

¡Sí se puede!

Tickets may be purchased online at the website. Seating is limited and reservations are strongly encouraged.

César Chávez was born near Yuma, Ariz., on 31 March 1927 and died in 1993 at age 66. In 1994, President Clinton honored him with a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award. The U.S. Postal Service issued a first class stamp in his honor in 2003 sparking the annual Reno celebrations.

In 2013, President Obama issued a proclamation for César Chávez Day. As a candidate in 2008, he endorsed making Chavez's birthday a national holiday. Petitions have been signed at previous Reno events and forwarded to Washington.

¡ se puede!

Be well. Raise hell. / Esté bien. Haga infierno. (Pardon my Spanglish)

Andres Luis Barbáno

 

XV Celebración del día de César Chávez
Miércol
es, Marzo 29 2017
En el Mandalay Ballroom / Circus Circus / Reno, Nevada

La Quinceava celebración de César Chávez en el Hotel y Casino Circus Circus de la ciudad de Reno Nevada. Las puertas se abrirán a las 5:30 de la tarde en el salón Mandalay y la cena se servirá a las 7:00 de la noche.

El entretenimiento se realizará nuevamente con los músicos César Pérez and Ángel Rodriguez. El Ballet Folklorico de la Sierra también va a repetir su participación después de haber sido un gran éxito el año pasado.

Como siempre, el evento tiene el aspecto serio y cómico.

En los eventos pasados incluimos presentaciones de residentes indocumentados llamados Dreamers que vinieron como pequeños niños y fueron apoyados con la enmienda del Derecho de igualdad a la constitución. (después de cuatro décadas de tratar, la semana pasada en la legislación)

Con la legislación ahora en sesión un número de legisladores están participando como en el pasado

En la página Nevadalabor.com en la sección de el Hall de la fama Darlene Jesperson, Joe Neal y Bob Price estarán también presentes. El evento se va a digitalizar y un segmento va a ser usado en Un especial de televisión que saldrá al aire próximamente. Una nueva campaña de televisión para los XV de Cesar Chavez salió al inicio de la semana en KTVN TV-2 patrocinado por la Union Internacional Local 169. Que a sido el mayor patrocinador del evento anual desde la década pasada Vea CesarChavezNevada.com/

El video que presenta a César Chávez con una reunión con el Senador Robert F. Kennedy, Democrata de Nueva York y marchando con el Alcalde George Moscone de San Francisco. Un segmento enseña al comisionado del condado de Washoe Kitty Jung saludando a "Lee" Librado Chávez en la celebracion de 2008. Una cara familiar en Reno, Lee Chavez pasó a mejor vida el año pasado al igual que La Señora Helen Chávez viuda de César. Sus contribuciones se van a recordar el Miercoles en la tarde. Un Residente de mucho tiempo en la ciudad de Reno Ramon Chávez , sobrino de César Chávez e hijo de Librado, aceptó en la Comisión del condado de Washoe la proclamación de el día de César Chavez la semana pasada. Ramon Chávez y su esposa, Heather, representarán otra vez a su familia el Miércoles.

La campaña de televisión incluirá las escenas de César Chávez marchando con líderes de la Unión Culinaria D. Taylor y Geoconda Arguello-Kline durante la huelga del Hotel Frontier en el strip de Las Vegas. La Unión se ganó el título de la mayor huelga en la Historia de los Estados Unidos. La Culinaria Local 226  tiene trabajadores representantes En el Circus Circus y son los que nos están sirviendo el día de hoy.

La comida será auténtica comida mexicana certificada por el Representante Rubén Kihuen Democrata de Nevada. Antes de ser electo para el Congreso el año pasado. Ruben Kihuen sintió orgullo por el hotel que cocinaba la comida realmente mexicana. El es un juez calificado porqué el nació en México. Cuando el estaba sirviendo en la legislatura Rubén Kihuen fue el patrocinador principal del Proyecto de Ley en 2009 del Día de César Chávez que ahora es una Ley Estatal . El ha dicho públicamente esto en diferentes ocasiones.

Mucho antes que el fuera una figura internacional. César Chávez viajó a Nevada en un viaje de trabajo, de acuerdo con Reno-Sparks NAACP matriarca Dolores Feemster quien lo conoció a el en los años 1960. Como es usual los representantes de NAACP estarán registrando votantes en la noche del Miércoles.

El primer día de César Chávez fue declarado el 15 de julio de 1986 por el Alcalde Pete Sferrazza. Chavez hablo al la reunión Internacional de la Asociación de Maquinistas y después a la reunió n general de la Unión de miembros de la federación americana de Músicos en el Auditorio Local 368. Las fotos y la historia de ese día y de las celebraciones recientes se pueden ver en la página de CesarChavezNevada.com/

Los boletos para el evento se pueden comprar en line en la página web la capacidad está limitada y recomendamos que haga su reservación.

César Chávez nació cerca de Yuma Arizona el 31 de Marzo de 1927 y murió en el año 1993 a la edad de 66 años. En 1994 El Presidente Clinton le dio honores póstumos dándole la medalla de Libertad, es el mayor reconocimiento civil de la nación. El corroe Postal de los Estados Unidos emitió una estampilla de primera clase en su honor en el año de 2003 dándole colorido a las celebracion de Reno.

En 2013, El Presidente Barack Obama realizó la proclamación del día de César Chávez. Cuando fue candidato a la presidencia en 2008 , el endorso para hacer el día del cumpleaños de César Chávez un día de celebración Nacional. Se han firmado peticiones en eventos previos de Reniy se han mandado a Washington.

¡ se puede!

— Spanish translation courtesy of Elvira Diaz. Gracias.


In search of César Chávez
Barbwire by Andres Luis Barbáno / Expanded from the 3-28-2017 Sparks Tribune

Equal Rights Betrayal
Barbwire by Barbano / Expanded from the 2-28-2017 Sparks Tribune / Updated 3-1 and 3-3-2017

Kate Smith & Lady Gaga
Deportation and internment camps make a big comeback

Barbwire by Barbano / Expanded from the 2-14-2017 Sparks Tribune

 


Washoe County Commission proclaims César Chávez Day/del dia de César Chávez 2017

PROCLAIMING CESAR (3-21-2017) — (left to right) Washoe County Commissioners Vaughn Hartung, Jeanne Herman and Kitty Jung; César Chávez nephew and Reno resident Ramon Chávez holding the proclamation; César Chávez annual celebration producer Andrew Barbano; Commissioner Marsha Berkbigler, Commission Chair Bob Lucey, County Manager John Slaughter. (Scott Oxarart photo)

Requiescant in pace

Adios: Sam Lumpe, 1940-2016
The César Chávez Nevada Labor Hall of Famer and retired member of Sheet Metal Workers Local 26/AFL-CIO, passed away in Reno on Aug. 24. A complete obituary will be posted here soon. At his request, there will be no memorial service. He is the second hall-of-famer to pass this summer. Requiescant in pace.

Adios: Librado Chávez muerto
Librado "Lee" Chávez, brother of César Chávez and frequent participant in Nevada César Chávez Day activities, has passed away in California. Details as they arrive. Requiescat in pace. (8-16-2016)

VETERANS — Left to right, Maria Zamora, Librado "Lee" Chávez and Tony Mayorga. Lee Chávez holds up a United Farm Workers of America flag signed by his late brother. The flag is part of Ms. Zamora's collection of Chávez/UFWA memorabilia which she displayed at the 2004 Chávez Celebration. Ms. Zamora marched with César Chávez in the 1960's and cooked for the multitudes as they trekked across California. She traveled from California to attend the 2014 and 2016 events. She was installed in the Hall of Fame in 2016. She weaved wonderful stories for the audience and Duet Eross (César Perez and Chriss Reyes) serenaded her with De Colores. As always, the Chávez family was well represented by Reno resident Ramon Chávez and his family. Tony Mayorga is the former President of Laborers' Union Local 169, a founding sponsor of the celebration. [Librado Chávez and a dozen family members attended the 2008-2011 events. They had been unable to attend recently due to the illness of Mrs. Chávez. We look forward to seeing them again soon.]

Adios: César Chávez Hall of Famer George "Battling" Nelson, 1932-2016

Helen Chávez, widow of César Chávez, dies at 88
Elena Chávez muerta
Associated Press 6-7-2016

 


7-15-1986: César Chávez returned to Reno


Obama pays tribute to late Reno labor leader

THE WAY WE WERE — The above is a recently discovered photo from July 15, 1986. Left to right are Kathy Brown, Culinary Union Local 86 office manager; Miguel Contreras, Local 86 Secretary-Treasurer; Local 86 President Bill Uehlein; a lady named Natalie (anyone who knows her last name, please write), and César Chávez. This item was first published in Ahora, northern Nevada's Spanish-English weekly, on March 26, 2008. (On 3-19-2009, President Obama paid tribute to Brother Contreras as he spoke in the L.A. building named after the late labor leader. See the 1986 Chávez Reno archive, below.)

If you have any information about César Chávez's earlier visits to northern Nevada, please give a holler. It's important.

(Photo courtesy of Dan Rusnak, retired business manager of Laborers' International Union Local 169.)

More stories and photos from César Chávez's 1986 Reno visit


      UFW FLAG ART presented by César Chávez to Reno Musicians Union Local 368 Secretary-Treasurer Beth Shay at Reno César Chávez Day I on July 15, 1986. Each color is symbolic — black for the dark situation of the farmworkers of the time; red for toil and sacrifice and the white circle for hope. Chávez himself designed it.

When César Chávez came to Reno


    How often do we get to meet the great men of our age? Of the great apostles of nonviolence who have lived in our time and generations, I got to meet only one, but that was a meaningful one. César Chávez's (1986) visit to Reno gave me the opportunity to meet him, to shake his hand, to stand in his presence. It was an honor, one of the privileged moments of my life.

     On March 10, 1968, Robert Kennedy went to Delano to be with César when he broke his fast for nonviolence. Senator Kennedy said to César's supporters in the farm workers, "And when your children and grandchildren take their place in America, going to high school and college and taking good jobs at good pay — when you look at them, you will say, 'I did this. I was there, at the point of difficulty and danger'. And though you may be old and bent from many years of labor, no man will stand taller than you when you say, 'I marched with César'."

     We have not been very good custodians of that hope. Good jobs at good pay seem further away than ever. We have to do better. César's example calls.

— Courtesy of longtime Nevada reporter Dennis Myers' Poor Denny's Almanac
Used by permission.



UPDATED 22 AUGUST 2014 01:07 a.m. PDT, 08:07 ZULU/GMT/SUT/CUT —> On this date in 1966, the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee, now the United Farm Workers of America (UFW), was formed from a merger of the National Farm Workers Association and the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee and became a powerful tool for the advancement of Latinos under the leadership of César Chávez and Dolores Huerta. (Courtesy Dennis Myers' daily Poor Denny's Almanac © 2014)

OCTOBER, 1969 — César Chávez, right, and Walter Reuther, center, at the dedication of the United Farm Workers new headquarters in Delano, Calif. The buildings were dedicated to Reuther's late younger brother, Roy. The Reuther-led United Auto Workers were instrumental in acquiring the land and funding for the "The 40 Acres," as the site was known. The man at left was on a picket line for five years and may or may not be a Chávez relative. Anyone who can identify him, please contact me.(Photo courtesy of George "Battling" Nelson, UAW Local 2162 Retirees and 2013 César Chávez NevadaLabor.com Hall of Fame Honoree.)

Las Vegas council approves “Camino Cesar Chavez” ceremonial name on Pecos Road
By Jane Ann Morrison / Las Vegas Review-Journal 5-7-2014

Sponsorship and Online Ticket Purchase Information
29 March 2017

Miercoles, 29de Marzo, 2017
Boletos e información

César Estrada Chávez was born March 31, 1927

Join the campaign for a César Chávez national holiday
Sign the petition

¡Sí se puede!

César Chávez NevadaLabor.com Honorees & Hall of Famers


The César Chávez Long March
by Reno artist Erik Holland


The original watercolor was displayed for several years in the Nevada Legislature offices of Sen. (now Congressman) Ruben Kihuen, D-Las Vegas, prime sponsor of the 2009 César Chávez Day bill.

Copyright © 2009 Erik Holland. All rights reserved.

 

The campaign for a César Chávez national holiday
Sign the petition

César Chávez Celebration XV
event supporters


International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers/AFL-CIO

IBEW Local 1245


AT&T Nevada

National Assn. of Letter Carriers
Branch 709


Northern Nevada Latino Alliance

University of Nevada-Reno Latino Student Advisory Board

American Federation of Government Employeees Local 2152
Ioannis A. Lougaris
VA Medical Center-Reno

Washoe County Commissioner
Kitty Jung


      César E. Chávez was born on March 31, 1927, on a small farm near Yuma, Arizona. At 10 years of age, he began life as a migrant farm worker. This ultimately led to his cause or "La Causa," advocating for better wages and working conditions for the nation's farm workers. In 1952, he began the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) to strive for equal rights for agricultural workers.
       César Chávez learned from and practiced the non-violent principles of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Mohandas K. Gandhi. Chávez died on April 23, 1993, at the age of 66. He was posthumously awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994. The United States Postal Service issued a commemorative first class stamp bearing his image in 2003.

HISTORY: MARCH COUNTDOWN TO CHÁVEZ DAY

On March 10, 1968, Sen. Robert Kennedy, D-NY, and César Chávez met in Delano, California, for the breaking of Chavez's anti-violence fast. Chávez's physicians had contacted Kennedy to ask for his help in convincing Chávez to end his fast before it did more damage to his health.

On March 17, 1966, farm workers led by César Chávez began a march from Delano to Sacramento.

On March 31, 1927, César Chávez was born near Yuma, Ariz.

New York Times obituary, April 24, 1993: "Mr. Chávez, who was described by Robert F. Kennedy in 1968 as 'one of the heroic figures of our time,'was widely acknowledged to have done more to improve the lot of the migrant farm worker than anyone else. Fighting growers and shippers who for generations had defeated efforts to unionize field workers, and later fighting rival unionists, Mr. Chávez for the first time brought a degree of stability and security to the lives of some migrant workers. Largely because of him, the California Legislature in 1975 passed the nation's first collective bargaining act outside Hawaii for farm workers, who are largely excluded from Federal labor law coverage. 'For the first time,' Mr. Chávez said when asked to describe the union's achievement, 'the farm worker got some power.' Asked what had motivated his stubborn fight, he said, 'For many years I was a farm worker, a migratory worker, and, well, personally — and I'm being very frank — maybe it's just a matter of trying to even the score.'"

[Courtesy of longtime Nevada reporter Dennis Myers' Poor Denny's Almanac]


¿Quién fue César Chávez?

"Una de las figuras heróicas de nuestros tiempos"
—Senador Robert F. Kennedy, D-NY




Blasts from the past

Reno César Chávez Day XIV
March 30, 2016

Reno César Chávez Day XIII
March 31, 2015

Reno César Chávez Day XII
March 31, 2014

Reno César Chávez Day XI
March 28, 2013

Reno César Chávez Day X
March 31, 2012

Reno César Chávez Day IX
March 31, 2011

Reno César Chávez Day VIII
March 31, 2010

Reno César Chávez Day VII
March 31, 2009

Reno César Chávez Day VI
March 31, 2008

Reno César Chávez Day V
March 31, 2006

Reno César Chávez Day IV
March 31, 2005

Reno César Chávez Day III
March 31, 2004

Reno César Chávez Day II
March 31, 2003

Reno César Chávez Day I
July 15, 1986