Paying tribute: Cesar Chavez immortalized with sculpture in Las Vegas

Months before his death in 1993, iconic labor leader Cesar Chavez showed up to a Las Vegas picket line to support Frontier workers in what would eventually become one of the longest strikes in U.S. history.

One photo captured him hoisting a picket sign and marching alongside a smiling Geoconda Argüello-Kline, the former treasury-secretary of Culinary Local 226.

Through state law, “Cesar Chavez Day” is proclaimed each March 31, his birthday, by the governor.

And now, the civil rights hero also is memorialized with a bust scupted by artist Guillermo Salazar González, and showcased in Las Vegas.

The sculpture — which shows Chavez from the chest up — was unveiled earlier this month at Chicanos Por La Causa’s Las Vegas headquarters.

“The artwork pays tribute and celebrates the legacy of a man who championed the rights and advocated for the wellbeing of hundreds of thousands of farm workers across the U.S. for more than thirty years,” event organizers wrote.

Added Serafin Calvo, the organization’s workforce and community development director: “We feel very honored that it’s here. The plight of Cesar Chavez has a lot to do and mirrors what Chicano Por La Causa’s mission is.”

‘Hardships and injustices’

A biography on the Chavez Foundation outlines the civil rights leader’s life and legacy.

Chavez was born near Yuma, Arizona, in 1927. After the Great Depression wiped out his family’s farm when he was young, Chavez became a farm worker.

He began organizing after experiencing “hardships and injustices” while working in California fields.

Chavez would go on to form what would eventually become the United Farm Workers of America.

He turned down higher-pay and prominent positions, and “embraced a life of voluntary poverty, as did other movement leaders and staff until the late 1990s,” according to his biography. “He never earned more than $6,000 a year, never owned a house, and when he died at the age of 66 in 1993, left no money behind for his family.”

Chavez’s movement would stage nonviolent protests that included fasts — Chavez’s longest ended after 36 days.

The efforts led to legislative changes. Chavez once was referred to as “one of the heroic figures of our time” by former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, according to his biography.

Chicanos Por La Causa

Founded in 1969 by student activists, Chicanos Por La Causa aimed to tackle issues within communities of Mexican descent in Phoenix.

The organization expanded to New Mexico and Nevada in 2010. Its location at 555 N. Maryland Parkway offers bilingual programming related to education, health and human services, housing and economic development.

Its doors are open to everyone, Calvo said.

“CPLC Nevada believes in the mission of building stronger, healthier communities by providing the political and economic empowerment to people to learn the skills and develop the resources necessary to become self-sufficient, offering a hand-up rather than a hand-out,” according to the nonprofit.

Salazar González, a Mexican sculptor with a half-century of experience whose bronze pieces have homes around the world, attended the unveiling.

“Chicanos Por La Causa has been driven by the same passion and commitment that Cesar Chavez embodied, making them a fitting recipient of this powerful symbol of unity and empowerment,” event organizers said.

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.