11 a.m. rally, 11:30 a.m. March Sunday
Thousands from Arvin to Fresno mark Cesar Chavez’s passing while marching for immigrants’ rights in Bakersfield
Thousands of farm workers, students and community activists from across the Central Valley will observe the 13th anniversary of Cesar Chavez’s passing by marching Sunday through the streets of Bakersfield for genuine immigration reform the day before the U.S. Senate returns to consider the bipartisan AgJobs bill jointly sponsored by the United Farm Workers and the nation’s growers.
Marchers from Arvin to Fresno will gather for the rally and march sponsored by the Kern County Coalition for Immigrants Rights, which the UFW helped organize. UFW President Arturo Rodriguez and union co-founder Dolores Huerta will headline the events. Word about Sunday’s observances has been spread through public service announcements aired on the Univision television network, Radio Campesina (farm worker radio network) and the La Favorita radio station.
The event promotes the AgJobs measure and comprehensive immigration reform bill by Sens. John McCain and Edward Kennedy, and opposes H.R. 4437, the anti-immigrant House Republican bill. Cosponsored by 49 U.S. senators, AgJobs would allow undocumented farm workers already in this country who pass criminal background and national security checks to earn the right to permanently stay in the U.S. by continuing to work in agriculture. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a proposal on March 27 that reflects AgJobs. It is among the measures being debated by the full Senate.
Who: Thousands of Central Valley farm workers, students and community activists; UFW President Arturo Rodriguez; union co-founder Dolores Huerta.
What: Bakersfield march and rally marking the anniversary of Cesar Chavez’s passing and backing the AgJobs immigration reform bill being debated in the U.S. Senate.
When: 11 a.m. rally, 11:30 a.m. march, Sunday, April 23, 2006.
Where: Martin Luther King Jr. Park, East California & So. King, Bakersfield.
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