THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary
___________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 31, 2009

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT TO COMMEMORATE CESAR CHAVEZ’S BIRTHDAY

President Barack Obama today made the following statement to commemorate Cesar Chavez's birthday:

"Today, on what would have been his 82nd birthday, Cesar Chavez's legacy as an educator, environmentalist, and as a civil rights leader who struggled for fair treatment and fair wages for America's workers is important for every American to remember.

Having begun as a farmworker, Cesar Chavez eventually co-founded the United Farm Workers and struggled to provide hundreds of thousands of people with better working conditions and the chance to live a better life. The cause of fair treatment and fair wages for America’s workers lives on today through the work of countless others.

Chavez’s rallying cry, "Sí Se Puede" – "Yes We Can," was more than a slogan, it was an expression of hope and a rejection of those who said farmworkers could not organize, and could not take on the growers. Through his courage, Cesar Chavez taught us that a single voice could change our country, and that together, we could make America a stronger, more just, and more prosperous nation."