Above Photo: Flickr/ Kheel Center
Tens of thousands of farm workers will lead the resistance to Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant policies by staging marches and events organized by the United Farm Workers and other farm worker organizations around Cesar Chavez’s March 31 birthday in 11 mostly rural communities—most of which backed Trump—across California, Texas, Washington state and Oregon. Most take place on Sunday, April 2, when farm workers have the day off.
Rural and agricultural counties voted heavily for Trump during last year’s presidential election. But field laborers whose toil supplies fresh fruits and vegetables to America and much of the world will be marching against the Trump immigration agenda carrying “We feed you” banners and signs in California’s Central Valley and Central Coast, South Texas’ Rio Grande Valley and Washington state’s Yakima Valley.
Farm workers who are undocumented or have family members without legal papers express genuine fear over Trump plans to target all undocumented immigrants for deportation. Yet thousands of them will nevertheless mobilize to resist threats from the new administration and stand up for themselves while marking what would have been the iconic farm labor and civil rights leader’s 90th birthday.
The Salem, Ore. event is being organized by PCUN, the Oregon farm workers union. LUPE, the community union of South Texas, is organizing the march in San Juan, Texas.
Farm worker-organized marches are set for Sunday, April 2 in Madera, Delano, Livingston, Salinas, Santa Rosa, Oxnard and Coachella, Calif., and Sunnyside, Wash.; on Saturday, April 1 in San Juan, Texas and Calexico, Calif.; and on Friday, March 31 in Salem, Ore.
Salem, Ore., 12 noon, March 31 at State Capitol, 900 Court St., N.E., Salem, OR 97301
San Juan, Texas, 10 a.m., Saturday April 1 at San Juan Municipal Park, 506 U.S. 83, San Juan, TX 78589
Calexico, Calif., 10 a.m., Saturday, April 1 at 221 W. Second St., Calexico, CA 92231
Madera, Calif., 11 a.m., Sunday, April 2 at Centennial Park, 701 E. 5th St., Madera, CA 93638
Delano, Calif., 11:30 a.m., Sunday, April 2 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, 1015 Clinton St., Delano, CA 93215
Livingston, Calif., 12 noon, Sunday, April 2 at St.. Judas Thaddeus Catholic Church, 330 Franci St., Livingston, CA 95334
Salinas, Calif., 10 a.m., Sunday, April 2 at Cesar Chavez Community Park, 250 No. Madeira Ave., Salinas, CA 93905
Santa Rosa, Calif., 10 a.m., Sunday, April 2 at Roseland Village Shopping Center, 555 Sebastopol Rd., Santa Rosa, CA 95407
Oxnard, Calif., 10 a.m., Sunday, April 2 at Bust of Cesar Chavez in La Colonia, 170 No. Juanita Ave., Oxnard, CA 93030
Coachella, Calif., 10 a.m., Sunday, April 2 at Harrison St. and Ave. 50, Coachella, CA 92236
Sunnyside, Wash., 1:30 p.m., Sunday, April 2 at Central Park, 559 So. 4th St., Sunnyside, WA 98944