Site Where Cesar Chavez Founded Farmworker Union Dedicated As Historic

[Kadie]

Site Where Cesar Chavez Founded Farmworker Union Dedicated As Historic
February 21, 2011 12:12 PM

DELANO, Calif. (AP) — U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and farmworker union leaders dedicated a National Historic Landmark plaque Monday to commemorate the land and buildings where the United Farm Workers of America was founded in the mid-1960s.

Salazar joined the family of Cesar Chavez, the late founder of the farmworker union, current UFW leaders, farmworkers and area schoolchildren in Delano, a small city 30 miles north of Bakersfield, to honor the site known as “Forty Acres,” which had hosted some of the most momentous events shaping Chavez’s movement.

“We can’t forget the suffering of Cesar Chavez and his family and all the farmworkers who participated in the movement because you still have to keep going because the work of Cesar Chavez is not finished,” Salazar said in Spanish after he unveiled the plaque.

Designated as a National Historic Landmark in October 2008, the Forty Acres focused national attention on farmworker issues and inspired millions of Americans to social and political activism in the 1960′s and 1970′s.

“It’s a historic recognition of a location that farmworkers have used as their headquarters for more than 40 years,” said Arturo Rodriguez, president of the United Farm Workers. “Many historical events have taken place here and tens of thousands have gathered at this site.”

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http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2011/02/21/site-where-cesar-chavez-founded-farmworker-union-dedicated-as-historic/