Merced’s annual Cesar Chavez march to highlight farm labor

The Cesar Chavez Committee will honor its namesake this weekend with a march to continue pushing for the rights of farm laborers.

Taking place for a second year, the march will begin Sunday at 2 p.m. at M and 16th streets. It will proceed to the McNamara Park Youth Center, where a celebration will continue until 6 p.m.

Al Rojas, 70, a founding member of the United Farm Workers of America, said marches across the state remember Chavez but are really about the movement to improve the lives of farmworkers. While the movement has seen success in gaining benefits for farmworkers, such as access to restrooms, regular breaks and drinking water, other issues remain, such as the health risks posed by exposure to pesticides.

Rojas noted that many of the chemicals used to kill bugs are known to cause cancer. He said regulating use of pesticides could have positive effects beyond shielding workers.

“When we protect agricultural workers, we protect consumers,” he said.

Rojas was involved with many others in the boycott of table grapes that began in 1965. Protestors marched for more than 300 miles to highlight the plight of workers.

Chavez, one of the movement’s leaders, was known for his work to improve the lives of farmworkers by using nonviolent protest methods, including a 25-day fast in 1968 and a 36-day fast 20 years later. His efforts and those of others led landowners to sign union contracts that provided farmworkers with bathrooms, better wages and water breaks.

The theme of this year’s march in Merced is “Educate, Inspire and Empower,” which is meant to highlight workers’ rights, according to organizer Rodolfo Rodriguez. The focus is on improving wages, providing overtime benefits and allowing for health care.

Organizers are looking for legislative changes that would allow farmworkers to sign up for health insurance. Undocumented immigrants cannot sign up for coverage under the Affordable Care Act.

There are more than 400,000 farmworkers in California during the harvest season, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. About half of all hired crop farmworkers are estimated to lack legal authorization to work in the United States, according to a survey by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Event organizers also plan a Viva La Huelga Youth Art Contest for people ages 24 and younger. The Huelga flag is the UFW’s symbol, which is red and features an eagle in the shape of an inverted pyramid.

The events also will offer speakers, performers, arts and crafts, music and informational tables.

This story was originally published April 1, 2016 at 4:47 PM with the headline "Merced’s annual Cesar Chavez march to highlight farm labor."