‘We stand with you.’ First lady Jill Biden speaks to Valley farmworkers, leaders in Delano
The sounds of Mexican folk music greeted first lady Jill Biden as she visited California’s central San Joaquin Valley on Wednesday — the birthday of late labor leader Cesar Chavez.
Shortly after landing at Meadows Field Airport in Bakersfield, she visited The Forty Acres in Delano and met with farmworkers. She appeared in Delano with Gov. Gavin Newsom, Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, and labor activist Dolores Huerta.
Speaking amid the backdrop of the United Farm Workers flag, Biden mentioned a bust of Chavez that’s in the Oval Office. She was introduced at the podium by Connie Perez-Andreesen, UFW national vice president.
“Cesar Chavez understood that no matter the obstacles, when people come together united in a cause, anything is possible. Yes we can. Si se puede!” Biden said.
‘Si se puede’ gaffe
During her appearance Biden mispronounced the words “si se puede” on the third occasion she mentioned the phrase — pronouncing it “si se pwad-way” when she was closing out her speech. The gaffe can be viewed at 46 minutes 55 seconds in the video.
The Forty Acres site is deemed a national landmark and was the original home of the farmworkers movement that birthed the UFW.
Biden said she visited the site to carry on the spirit of Chavez and show support for farmworkers who worked through the pandemic.
She also spoke in support of the Farmworker Modernization Act, which passed the House of Representatives this week. “Even in our darkest hour we can find hope in each other,” she said. “We stand with you and we are grateful for all that you are doing for your call to service.”
During the stop, Biden spoke with farmworkers like Esmeralda Hernandez, 21, who attends Porterville College. Hernandez said she’s worked in vineyards and blueberry fields for about three years.
She praised Biden for supporting the Modernization Act. “I don’t want to have to worry about my parents going to work and not coming home,” Hernandez said.
Leaders in the San Joaquin Valley have said they hoped the visit is a sign that immigration reform is front and center for the Biden administration.
President Joe Biden on his first day in office sent Congress an extensive immigration proposal. Known as the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021, the plan would provide a pathway to citizenship to the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. About 2 million of them live in California.
State Sens. Melissa Hurtado, D-Sanger, and Anna Caballero, D-Salinas, also were among the local leaders gathered to meet and greet Biden on Wednesday.
“I appreciate the First Lady’s visit to the Southern Central Valley, her visit will help restore the soul of our region,” said Hurtado in a statement.
“The First lady’s visit to Forty Acres, a place which has great historical significance, highlights that the health and well-being of our farmworkers is of national importance. Farmworkers have worked nonstop throughout the pandemic to ensure we are fed, and have also been one of the communities hardest hit by COVID-19.”
“Having the First Lady visit the birthplace of the movement on this special day, not only validates our experiences, but sends a message of hope,” Caballero said. “Cesar said it best when he declared that once social change begins, it cannot be reversed. I think today was proof that he was right.”
The Forty Acres site was where Cesar Chavez stayed during two of his fasts while fighting for farmworkers’ rights.
UFW President Teresa Romero said it is heartening to see Biden visit the historic site.
“Just as farm worker issues have evolved through the years — and our movement with them — it is powerful to see historic sites such as Forty Acres evolving with new purposes,” she said in a statement. “Most urgent for them now is immigration justice and the path forward with the Farm Workforce Modernization Act.”
The pandemic has highlighted the plight of farmworkers, who were deemed essential and continued working despite the threat of the virus.
Biden’s visit to The Forty Acres is a fitting tribute to Cesar Chavez, according to Paul Chavez, the president of the Cesar Chavez Foundation and son of the civil rights leader.
“For us, The Forty Acres is sacred ground,” he said.
This story was originally published March 31, 2021 at 1:51 PM with the headline "‘We stand with you.’ First lady Jill Biden speaks to Valley farmworkers, leaders in Delano."
