Jorge Rivas

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, César Chávez!

Ann Street Elementary School, in Downtown Los Angeles, pays tribute to Cesar Chavez through a photo montage by the students.

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is the second largest public school system in the United States and this year marks the first time its students will celebrate Cesar Chavez Day as an official holiday. A pretty big deal considering close to 73% of LAUSD students are Latino.

The observance didn’t come with out a struggle though, according to the LA Times “Two years ago, 500 middle school and high school students skipped classes in Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles and marched to demand that Cesar Chavez’s birthday become a holiday.”

Last week, the LAUSD Board of Education passed a resolution allowing the state holiday to become an official school holiday.

Posted at 6:56 AM, Mar 31, 2009 in Civil Rights | Permalink | View Comments