Our school makes a big deal out of celebrating Cesar Chavez day - not that there's anything wrong with that - we had a really cool day today...but, it did strike a bitter chord with a lot of our African-American students. I'd heard talk about how some of the kids were upset, or offended, because we were making a big deal out of Cesar Chavez day again, and "why didn't we celebrate Martin Luther King day?" Now, you can't really say it's because MLK day was an official holiday, I mean we are still eight days away from the "official" Cesar Chavez day.
Toward the end of the day I overheard an especially bright and personable student say "I hate this school. This isn't fair..." When I pulled him aside to ask why he was being negative, he said he was pissed that we were making a big deal out of this day and why didn't we even bother to acknowledge an entire month? (February - Black History Month). All I could say was that I agreed and that I will be 100% with him if he wants to organize something next year. At the end of our conversation when I asked him if he was feeling better he said "much better" and it was one of those moments when I knew I'd done something right.
Afterward we picked out a quote from Cesar Chavez ("From the depth of need and despair, people can work together, can organize themselves to solve their own problems and fill their own needs with dignity and strength") and created a little bit of art...and proved that "You are never strong enough that you don't need help" (another Chavez quote).
On a side note, Blake's mom was given the Cesar Chavez Si Se Pueda Award in 2004. She gives me appreciation for what this holiday represents.
The Cesar Chavez Si Se Puede Award - Kris Van Treese, a member of the Napa Valley Educators Association, was honored for more than 30 years of work within the Spanish-speaking community. As a teen, she was attracted to the Spanish language and culture as an escape from a painful childhood. Now, as a dance teacher at Napa High School, she has created a safe haven for Hispanic students. From a small program for Anglo students with just one teacher 10 years ago, the dance program today has grown to an impressive 406 students with an overwhelming majority of Hispanic girls and boys.
