Locals march to honor Cesar Chavez and bring social justice

An energetic crowd marched down streets in east Salinas calling for change and honoring Cesar Chavez birthday.

“He gave his life for the field worker,” said Adan Ramirez.

Ramirez said he remembers the civil rights activist who co-founded the National Farm Workers Union, improved the treatment, pay and working conditions of farm workers.

Ramirez, a former farm worker himself, says he joined Chavez’s movement in the early 90’s.

“We started to make flags and share everything that we needed to fight so that Caesar Chavez would be remembered,” said Ramirez.

While paying homage to Chavez’s legacy, farm workers say the march is also about social justice. They want overtime pay. They also hope to grab the attention of Washington, they want immigration reform and a stop to what they call unfair deportations.

“As a nation of immigrants, historically, we have contributed to the nation,” said Ricardo NNunez with the United Farm Workers Foundation. “To keep it that way we have to be the nation that it was founded with that message, with that terminology.”

They also want to stop Trump. Some of the people we spoke with called anti-immigration talk coming from the republican presidential front runner dangerous.

“I think he’s just acting as a demagog,” said Elizabeth Madrigal. “He just wants to inspire hate in people because there’s a lot of bigotry still in this country and it’s coming out here.”

Trump’s anti-immigration talk has galvanized Latino leaders on the Central Coast, trying to get more Latinos to register and vote this year.

“We’re organizing to beat him and we’re going to do it, he will not be president,” said United Farmer Workers Monterey region president Lauro Barajas.