Two Groups, One Cause: "Freedom to Marry" Campaign Launches in OR

Two Groups, One Cause: "Freedom to Marry" Campaign Launches in OR

August 30, 2011
Chris Thomas, Public News Service - OR
AUDIO: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/mp3.php?f=rss-21917-1.mp3

PORTLAND, Ore. - The focus is on what unites people, rather than what divides them, in a new campaign in Oregon to promote strong families, no matter what their members' sexual orientations. The immigrants' rights group CAUSA, and Basic Rights Oregon, which advocates for GLBT Oregonians, have launched a new campaign to prompt discussion among Latinos about the freedom to marry for same-sex couples.

Francisco Lopez, executive director of CAUSA, says it's a matter of human rights, already a familiar challenge to immigrants in Oregon.

"We have been struggling for equality for these many years. But we want equality for everybody in the Latino community, regardless of the color of your skin, you know, or your sexual orientation, and that's what we're doing. And this is something that we Latinos understand very very well."

Lopez says the campaign, called "Our Families," includes radio ads, community forums and leadership development in the GLBT community.

In the most recent poll by the Pew Research Center, 41 percent of Hispanics in the United States favor same-sex marriage and 47 percent oppose it, a gap that has narrowed in the past few years.

Jeana Frazzini, executive director of Basic Rights Oregon, says the two groups have worked together before, but it's usually been in the face of having to defend their rights against conservative political efforts.

"There have been many years of anti-gay and anti-immigrant ballot measures in Oregon, and so to be doing something that's positive and affirming, and on our own terms, is very fulfilling."

Frazzini says they're still considering whether to put same-sex marriage to a vote on the Oregon ballot in 2012, and that advocates will do so only if they believe there's a reasonable expectation of success. The going could be tough, however, with such groups as the National Organization for Marriage supporting a federal constitutional amendment "defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman."

http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?%2Fcontent%2Farticle%2F21917-1

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Labor rights advocates turn out to support justice for Ruby Ridge Dairy workers

August 30, 2011

Portland, Ore.-- On Saturday,  Ruby Ridge Dairy Workers, supported by farmworkers and farm labor advocates, held a march and rally for farmworker justice in Portland. Although workers are seeking better conditions and treatment with respect through a United Farm Workers (UFW) contract, Ruby Ridge Dairy has refused to recognize the union. Participants marched two miles from Portland State University to Darigold to urge the cooperative to press for fair worker treatment at the Pasco, Washington based dairy, a Darigold member.

According to workers,  Ruby Ridge Dairy owners have created a "climate of fear at the dairy".  In addition to claims about workers being fired for trying to start a union, there are reports that workers received less wages than they were entitled, not given access to drinking water or allowed to go to the bathroom, required to work long hours without rest or lunch breaks, were not allowed sick leave with or without pay, and were required to use machinery without proper instruction or protection.

Those supporting the Ruby Ridge Dairy Workers on Saturday included farmworkers from Oregon and Washington, United Farm Workers (UFW), Oregon Farm Worker Ministry (OFWM), National Farm Worker Ministry (NFWM), Portland Jobs with Justice, Oregon New Sanctuary Movement (ONSM), Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (Northwest Treeplanters and Farmworkers United) PCUN, and other farm labor advocates.

Resources
Former employees sue Ruby Ridge Dairy for lost wages http://www.kndu.com/story/10928395/former-employees-sue-ruby-ridge-dairy-for-lost-wages?redirected=true

The Dark Side of Dairies: A broken system leaves immigrant workers invisible -- and in danger.http://www.hcn.org/issues/41.15/the-dark-side-of-dairies/article_view?b_start:int=4&-C=

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Spanish radio ads highlight why marriage matters

New radio ads designed to reach out to Latino communities about the freedom to marry hit Oregon airwaves this month. The ad campaign highlights the strong relationship between two powerful statewide, grassroots organizations: Basic Rights Oregon, which advocates for gay and transgender rights, and CAUSA, which advocates for immigrant rights.

The ads are in Spanish and will run on Spanish-language radio in the Portland region for four weeks. They tell the stories of Latino families coming to terms with having a gay child, and underscore the importance of family supporting each other.

Every gay person is part of someone’s family.  As a Latina, I believe in loving my neighbor, in treating others as we would like to be treated, and in never turning our backs on family.

Marriage has brought so much happiness to my life. And I wouldn’t want any member of anyone’s family—gay or straight—to be denied that chance at happiness. [Excerpt from one ad, translated to English]

Listen to an ad in Spanish: Causa-BRO-Radio-Spot-2

“Regardless of the language you speak and whether you are gay or straight, marriage is about love, family and commitment,” said Francisco Lopez, Executive Director of CAUSA. “We hope these radio spark conversations within Hispanic communities and households about why marriage matters.”

As the ads begin airing, CAUSA is coordinating community briefings in the Latino community and has expanded its community education program to generate dialogue in the Latino community about the freedom to marry and the experiences of gay and transgender families.

“Basic Rights Oregon and CAUSA have a rich history of working together to advance human rights and democracy in Oregon,” said Jeana Frazzini, Executive Director of Basic Rights Oregon. “We have spent years united to defend our communities from attacks on our human rights. Together, we are stronger.”


For more information about the work of Basic Rights Oregon, please see http://www.basicrights.org/
For more information about the work of CAUSA, please see http://www.causaoregon.org/



Also posted at: http://www.lovecommitmentmarriage.org/blog/spanish-radio-ads-highlight-why-marriage-matters/

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Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Opens in Washington D.C.

The Washington Post reports that the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial opens to the public in Washington D.C. today. The design is derived from part of King's famous "I have a dream" speech when he said, "With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope." The memorial sits between the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials.  King, who stood as pillar for civil and human rights and economic justice for all people, is the first non-president and person of color to be honored on the national mall with a monument.


LINK: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/martin-luther-king-jr-memorial-unveiled/2011/08/22/gIQAN3CZWJ_video.html

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DHS to suspend deportation of DREAMers, others

A BIG VICTORY FOR OUR MOVEMENT! 
DHS to suspend deportation of DREAMers, others

We are pleased to pass on the great news that all of our collective phone calls, faxes, emails, letters, marching and rallying have paid off.

Today, the Department of Homeland Security and officials from the Obama Administration announced that they will be suspending deportations of individuals who fit low-priority categories as outlined in Prosecutorial Discretion memos released in June. Those who fit the “low-priority” category include DREAMers – or individuals who were brought here as children, pregnant women, elderly, disabled, veterans, and long-term Permanent Residents, PROVIDED they do not have felony convictions. Those that do fit the “low-priority” category will be allowed to apply for a work visa.

“Today’s announcement shows that this president is willing to put muscle behind his words and to use his power to intervene when the lives of good people are being ruined by bad laws.” - Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez, Illinois Democrat.

This change in policy will only affect non-citizens who are in deportation proceedings and will not apply to individuals who are not currently in removal proceedings. In fact, DHS has not even established any mechanism for individuals to be considered under this process if they are not already in the process of being deported 

As President Obama has deported nearly one million people in just two years, we remain cautiously optimistic about today's announcement and hope that these policies are implemented quickly and as promised.  Only with these new policies changes can we see families spared the horrors of being forcibly torn apart.

After all of our hard work, we finally have a BIG VICTORY we can celebrate together. We still have much more difficult work to do like continuing the pressure on the Administration to end the fatally flawed and destructive “Secure Communities” Program and pushing Congress forward on reforming our broken immigration system.

To continue this momentum, we need your help.  As CAUSA’s work is only as strong as the community that supports us, please take a moment and help us ensure that we will see an end to harmful policies that tear families apart and hurt our communities.

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Oregonians to participate in National Week of Action against failed S-Comm Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 18, 2011

Contact:
Eliana Machuca, Portland Jobs with Justice, 503-703-1407,
Natalie Patrick Knox, CAUSA Oregon, 503-915-5701
Erik Sorensen, CAUSA Oregon, 503-488-0263

Oregonians to participate in National Week of Action against failed S-Comm Program

Members of the immigrant, faith, labor and civil rights community to deliver report to elected officials today

Portland, Ore--This Week, the Safe Communities Project, a coalition of immigrant and civil rights organizations, is joining with faith, labor, and community leaders in Oregon and around the country to ask elected officials at every level to stand against the Department of Homeland Security’s fatally flawed and misnamed “Secure Communities” (S-Comm) program.

Already several events raising awareness about the highly controversial program have happened around the country this week including in Los Angeles and Oakland, California, Tucson, Arizona, and Chicago, Illinois.
Today, as part of the national week of action, members of the Safe Communities Project will be going to city, county, and state elected officials, the offices of Oregon’s Congressional Delegation, and sheriff's and police departments in Portland, Salem and Bend to deliver a report released on Monday condemning the S-Comm Program.

RESTORING COMMUNITY: A National Community Advisory Report on ICE’s Failed “Secure Communities” Program, released by NDLON and a National Community Advisory Commission, is a shadow report to DHS’s S-Comm Advisory Committee that was convened to water down the wildfire of opposition. The report focuses on the failed and fundamentally flawed “Secure Communities” program and gives a firsthand account from individuals who have been swept into S-Comm’s deportation dragnet—mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, workers, and students from across the United States.

The full report can be downloaded by linking here: http://altopolimigra.com/s-comm-shadow-report/  

On August 5th, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that they would unilaterally withdrawal the Memorandums of Agreement (MOAs) that they had originally signed with 39 states when implementing the program. Despite increasing national criticism from Governors, law enforcement officials, and community leaders, DHS said that these agreements, which provided a mechanism for states to “opt-out” of S-Comm, were never needed and that the program will continue to expand.

“In light of the widespread criticism of Secure Communities coming from an array of stakeholders, including community groups and public safety officials, ICE should suspend Secure Communities until the misinformation and misapplication that have plagued the program from the beginning are corrected,” said Ashlee Albies, Co-Chair of Portland Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild and civil rights attorney with Creighton & Rose. “ICE's recent actions undermine our system of democracy and weaken protection for already vulnerable communities in Oregon."

While sold as a program to target serious criminals, ICE’s own statistics show that 77% of people identified as a result of S. Comm. have been arrested for lesser offences, including traffic violations, while nearly one third of those had no criminal record. Additionally, ICE has consistently rejected calls for greater transparency. A federal judge hearing Freedom of Information Act litigation against ICE over S-Comm stated that “[t]here is ample evidence that ICE and DHS have gone out of their way to mislead the public about Secure Communities.” The program is currently under scrutiny by members of Congress.

Key Facts about the “Secure Communities” (S-Comm) Program:

• S-Comm separates families and destroys communities, violates our due process rights.
• DHS is using S-Comm as a vehicle to meet the agency's deportation goal of 400,000 people per year, subjecting people to detention and deportation regardless of whether or not they committed any "crime," the degree of severity of legal infractions, how long ago any charges occurred, what kind of rehabilitation has taken place, or what ties they have to communities.
• S-Comm compromises our communities' safety by driving a wedge between local police and the communities they are supposed to serve, adding to the already tenuous relationship.
• S-Comm encourages racial profiling and indiscriminately funnels immigrants into an unjust and dysfunctional immigration detention and deportation system.

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The Safe Communities Project is a coalition of immigrant & civil rights organizations which includes VOZ Workers’ Rights Education Project. Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition, Oregon New Sanctuary Movement, Portland Central America Solidarity Committee, North West Immigrant Youth Alliance, American Friends Service Committee, Jobs with Justice and CAUSA , Oregon’s Statewide Immigrant Rights Coalition.

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New Report Challenges DHS on Use of Resources and Targeting of Harmless Individuals

The American Immigration Lawyers Association has just released a new report challenging the claim made by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that it is focusing its finite resources on the "highest enforcement priorities" - namely those who present threats to public safety and national security.

AILA's report, Immigration Enforcement Off Target: Minor Offenses With Major Consequences, shows 127 cases where people all over America being picked up by police for minor offences like loitering or failing to signal before changing lanes. Others have even been picked up for no offences at all.

According to AILA, the stops were so trivial as to betray the real motive for the stop—namely to question someone about their immigration status. None of the people were stopped or charged for anything that could be considered a “serious crime.” In a few cases, police said they made the stop because the person “looked illegal.”

For more on the report and AILA’s recommendations for DHS, please link here: http://immigrationimpact.com/2011/08/17/new-report-shows-dhs-way-off-target-going-after-harmless-individuals/

The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) is the national association of immigration lawyers established to promote justice, advocate for fair and reasonable immigration law and policy, and advance the quality of immigration law practice.

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Economy Takes Center Stage at Bend Town Hall

Economy Takes Center Stage at Bend Town Hall

Chris Thomas, Public News Service - OR
August 16, 2011
AUDIO: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/mp3.php?f=rss-21725-1.mp3

BEND, Ore. - A town hall meeting to discuss the sagging Central Oregon economy and possible federal solutions might be lacking one key ingredient this week: Rep. Greg Walden, the Republican congressman for Oregon's Second District, has not yet indicated he will attend to answer the crowd's questions.

Greg Delgado, Central Oregon organizer for the immigrant-rights group CAUSA, says members of the Latino community will be there nonetheless, with views on immigration and trade agreements with Mexico that they feel are being ignored. And he says local postal workers who have just learned that their jobs are in jeopardy also plan to show up.

In person or on paper, Delgado says, their messages will be delivered.

"We're not just venting, either. We're going to get everybody's statements and we're going to send 'em to Congressman Walden, and we're going to use these as follow-ups to have this discussion. Let's just get the community voices together and take it to him."

Delgado says the congressman has held one local meeting in the past year, in La Pine, which he describes as not well publicized. He adds people have a lot of questions about how to turn the area's major industries around.

"Construction was a major job creator here in this Central Oregon region - and of course, with the real estate market the way it is, the growth has just collapsed, pretty much. And the other industry that we rely heavily on here is tourism. Also because of this economy, the tourist industry is suffering as well."

Tom Chamberlain, president of the Oregon AFL-CIO, says Walden's turf in Oregon's Second District has some of the highest home foreclosure and unemployment rates in the state, and not everyone there is convinced their views are being heard in Washington, D.C.

"We're very concerned about his position on unemployment extension, on stimulus to create jobs, his position on passing the Transportation Reauthorization Act. And that's why I think it's very important for Congressman Walden to show up at the event."

Rep. Walden has said the best way to revive the economy is to reduce government spending and give small businesses incentives to create jobs. If he does not attend the town hall meeting on Thursday, several groups are planning a panel discussion about job creation, immigration and trade issues. They include Oregon AFL-CIO, CAUSA, the Human Dignity Coalition and the Rural Organizing Project.

The groups say they want the gathering to be respectful and informative. It is scheduled for Thursday, August 18, 6:00 p.m., at Central Oregon Community College, 2600 N.W. College Way, Bend.

http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/21725-1

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Guess Who Believes Undocumented Immigrants Deserve the Death Penalty

Originally posted at Imagine 2050. Imagine 2050 is a project which includes activists, immigrants, artists and students who are invested in a future nation that embraces multiculturalism and tolerance.


Guess Who Believes Undocumented Immigrants Deserve the Death Penalty
by Aaron Patrick Flanagan 
http://www.imagine2050.net/

Quiz time. Who said this:

“I’m a hawk on this, but that’s how much I value America. I know that is a very drastic stand, but let me put it this way: I expect illegal invasion of our country by foreign entities to be met with deadly force. That’s how I expect to see my country protected.”

Was is it someone from the John Tanton Network of anti-immigrant groups, perhaps? Was it FAIR’s feedback squelching megaphone, Dan Stein? Nope. Was it IRLI’s golden boy, Kris Kobach? Wrong again.

Ok, here’s a clue. This same person also said that undocumented immigrants should be “shot at the border,” and that “If they value their lives, they would leave.”

Mark Krikorian of CIS? Good guess, but no.

These cavities of violent rhetoric were recently spewed by Loren Nichols, who is running for city council in Kennewick, WA. In past posts, our writers have often warned of the social space that is being carved by the more visible figureheads of the anti-immigrant movement, like those from the Tanton Network mentioned above—the kind that is carved explicitly so coded bigotry may flourish. This brand of social space, incidentally, parallels the kind that banner-waving Islamophobes Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer regularly spit, i.e. the sort of social space that Anders Behring Breivik emerged from clothed in police garb and tragedy, wielding an arsenal of deadly weaponry.

And while Nichols has no direct connection to any of those mentioned above, it must be said that those above are steering the social and political machines that are everyday attempting to pull our cultures deeper and deeper into xenophobia, racial bigotry, and Islamophobia. Why else would a city council candidate, who’s not yet officially on the ballot, feel so comfortable outlining his platform to save a town that’s 84% white and only 16% Hispanic or Latino, a town which calls Yingge and Taoyuan, Taiwan, it’s sister cities?

Did I mention it’s also “The Slurpee Capitol of the World?”

Hardly a town trapped in the throes of the failed, racist “Drug War.” But, don’t worry, as Nichols says, “”This is an issue that doesn’t deal with race so I hope it’s not interpreted that way. It has to do with violation of our country.”

Nichols’ logic becomes even more twisted and faulty when he also mentions that “I’m not promoting killing anyone.” When a reporter from the local CBS affiliate, KEPR, asked him if he was in favor of immigrants receiving the death penalty simply for being discovered as undocumented, though, Nichols callously quipped, “Correct.”

Wait, what?
Anyway, Nichols really wants us all to realize that “A lot of the attention is on the illegal immigration agenda, but I am not a one-dimension candidate. I am also concerned about the city having too many high-dollar projects going on at the same time.” This is more sound logic because obviously it costs taxpayers absolutely nothing to execute a prisoner. Oh yeah, that’s right, the costs of death penalty cases passed on to taxpayers are “38% greater than the total costs of life without parole convictions.”

Huh?
Clearly, Loren Nichols is nothing more than an extremely confused bigot who knows just about as much about public policy and the impacts of enacting it as this writer knows about the topography of Pluto. Nevertheless, we must recognize that the likes of John Tanton, Dan Stein, Kris Kobach, and Mark Krikorian are working hard, day-in-and-day-out, to make America a safe place to espouse bigotry.

The likes of Loren Nichols are just the sort they want serving on your city councils, so that when the Tanton Network rolls into our towns peddling their anti-immigrant local-level bills and ordinances – a rack of nearly wholesale failures – they can bleed us for hundreds of thousands of dollars—just like they’ve done in Arizona, Texas, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere.

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"Secure Communities"...Or Anything But?

"Secure Communities"...Or Anything But?

August 10, 2011
Chris Thomas, Public News Service - OR
AUDIO: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/mp3.php?f=rss-21628-1.mp3

ST. HELENS, Ore. - Oregon's immigrant community is raising concerns about public safety in light of a Homeland Security Department decision that individual states cannot opt out of the "Secure Communities" program.

That program gives local sheriffs the responsibility of turning over immigrants accused of crimes to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the federal immigration authorities. But an Oregon attorney says more than half the detainees are not criminals. Stephen Manning, with the Immigrant Law Group, says the program is alienating local police, who make the initial arrests, from those they are trying to protect.

"Those individuals, if they end up getting booked into the jail, they will be deported, they will be detained; they will be sucked into this very nebulous system. And the police take the blame for that - and it's not the police's doing. It's ICE's doing, and it's the sheriff's doing."

In rural areas, where local law enforcement is often focused on building relationships, Secure Communities has put police and sheriffs' departments at cross-purposes, according to Amanda Aguilar Shank, Columbia County organizer for the Rural Organizing Project, who says the result is less security.

"As we're in this budget crisis, it becomes even more important to have a level of trust and community-building in the community. When you're targeting one minority and making the community unsafe for them, that means that more crimes go unreported."

Manning says a simple traffic stop can throw a person into jail - and that person's family into turmoil.

"People call us in crisis all the time. They don't understand what's happening; it's a completely opaque process. And people call us frequently because people have disappeared - 'We don't know where this person is. They were coming home from work, and then suddenly, we get a phone call and they're now in this detention facility in Texas. How did that happen?' "

ICE sees Secure Communities as an effective partnership that has increased deportations. But three states - Illinois, Massachusetts and New York - have refused to be part of it. Oregon has not taken a stand on it, although Gov. John Kitzhaber has said he sees the need for clear boundaries between local law enforcement and federal immigration enforcement.

Click here to view this story on the Public News Service RSS site and access an audio version of this and other stories: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/21628-1

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DHS tells states they can't opt-out of flawed program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 5, 2011

Department of Homeland Security tells states they can't opt-out of flawed program

Salem, Ore. – During a teleconference today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that they are rescinding the Memorandums of Agreement (MOAs) on Secure Communities (S-Comm) with states like Illinois, New York and Massachusette that want to withdrawl from the program. DHS maintains that the Secure Communities program is mandated by federal law and that agreements were never necessary. The Department said it intends to implement the program regardless and that it will be made mandatory in 2013. The statement by the Department of Homeland Security contradicts their original position that the program would be optional for cities and states.

CAUSA, Oregon's Statewide Immigrant Rights Coalition, joins with public officials, law enforcement and public safety and immigrant rights advocates around the nation in expressing serious concerns over DHS's and Immigration and Customs Enforcement's continuing to force a program onto states that they recognize as severely flawed.

CAUSA joins with others in calling on DHS and ICE to:

1. Amend their rules so that states and localities, and not the federal government, decide if Secure Communities is appropriate for them.
2. Meaningfully address the erosion of public trust in law enforcement created by the Secure Communities Program.  
3. Address the severe flaws in the Secure Communities Program, as it lacks the internal safeguards to prevent profiling. ICE must also address bias and discriminatory practices that are feeding people into the program.  

Although no jurisdictions in Oregon have signed any letters to opt-out of the Secure Communities Program, there has been serious concerns raised in many counties around the state including Multnomah and Marion. In community meetings,  members of the public have made their serious concerns be known to county law enforcement over the program.

A study recently conducted by the City of Portland Human Rights Commission concluded that, among other disturbing findings, the flawed and costly program makes Oregonians less safe by undermining community trust of police and encourages local police to target immigrants.  During a recent interview with Univision Portland KUNP-TV, Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber said that a line needed to be drawn between federal immigration enforcement and local law enforcement.

As this controversial program is shrouded in lies and deception, CAUSA maintains that the Secure Communities program must be halted immediately until these and other issues are addressed.

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CAUSA, Oregon's Immigrant Rights Coalition, is the largest Latino and Latina civil and human rights and advocacy organization in the Pacific Northwest. We work to defend and advance immigrant rights through coordination with local, state, and national coalitions and allies. For more information, visit http://www.causaoregon.org

For more information contact Erik Sorensen, Communications Director at 503-488-0263 or at erik@causaoregon.org

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DHS Acknowledges that U.S. Immigration Policy Needs to Spark Economy and Attract Entrepreneurs

Originally posted at Immigration Impact,  a project of the American Immigration Council.

DHS Acknowledges that U.S. Immigration Policy Needs to Spark Economy and Attract Entrepreneurs

By PAUL ZULKIE, PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN IMMIGRATION COUNCIL

Yesterday, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Alejandro Mayorkas announced a series of policy initiatives designed to “fuel the nation’s economy and stimulate investment” by attracting foreign entrepreneurs who can invest in fields of high unemployment, create jobs, and form startup companies. It is encouraging that USCIS recognizes that immigrant entrepreneurs and innovators are a key to continued growth and to maintaining America’s competitive edge into the 21st century. It’s important that the agency keep this recognition in mind as it adjudicates visa petitions and applications.

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PCUN and CAPACES network remember and celebrate the life and example of Richard Chávez

Our movement joins countless others in honoring Richard Chávez. He passed away in Bakersfield, California on July 27th at the age of 81.

Richard was well-known and rightfully much respected as a co-founder of the United Farm Workers union. We deeply appreciate his life long contributions to the farmworker struggle.

Richard holds a special place in our movement’s history in Oregon and in our hearts. Forty years ago, he joined his older brother, César, and Dolores Huerta on the steps of the Oregon State Capitol in Salem. They led the opposition to a bill passed by the Oregon Legislature drastically restricting farmworkers rights to unionize. Thanks to the pressure they organized, Gov. Tom McCall vetoed the bill, though reluctantly.

On April 28, 1994, Richard represented the UFW movement and the Chávez family at the dedication ceremony of PCUN’s headquarters as “Risberg Hall.” He joined Oregon Governor Barbara Roberts and folksinger/activist Pete Seeger on that joyous and historic occasion, PCUN’s 9th anniversary. Richard’s words that day conveyed the respect, the support, and the cariño—the affection—that he, the UFW, and his brother César all had for PCUN.

FHDC staff and board representatives
with Richard Chavez

We last connected with Richard in June 2010 at “La Paz”, the UFW compound in Keene, California. The occasion was the dedication of the new conference center there. He was brimming with joy—as a movement leader and as a builder—to see yet another of the movement’s dreams realized.

Finally, we remember Richard as a master carpenter. When César died suddenly on April 23, 1993, Richard applied his skills and love to the task of building a simple pine coffin for César. We cherish the beauty and the power of that image: a craftsman, dedicated to family, serving La Causa.

Richard Chávez ¡Presente!

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