Your Invitation for Friday, April 12 and Saturday, April 13:
The Cesar Chavez Pilgrimage Committee, comprised of a coalition of local leaders, parents, students, teachers, and community groups, invites
you on Friday February 12 (from 4 pm – 7 pm to be part of a pot-luck ceremony to remember past organizers and to make flags and posters for the annual Cesar Chavez Pilgrimage march at Cesar Chavez Park (2720 Barjud Ave. in Pomona). Please bring a dish and drink to share.
For Saturday, April 13, we invite you to be part of the Cesar Chavez Pilgrimage march beginning at 9:30 A. M., under the theme “Opportunity through Unity, Migration Makes this Nation” from the Pomona School District Education Center (800 S. Garey Ave.) to Garey High School (321 W. Lexington Ave., Pomona, Ca). The annual community pilgrimage march and festival focuses each year on key issues affecting our diverse communities and uses all the proceeds from the event to present scholarships. This year’s march and festival focuses on the contributions that our immigrant and refugee families have contributed and continue to contribute to our economy, education, faith, culture, and history. This year’s Cesar Chavez Social Justice scholarship recipients, who represent the values of using their lives in connecting their learning to community engagement and service are: Melissa Soria, Marilyn Lucas, Cristian Jimenez, Evelyn Casa, and Diana Valencia.
Andres Chavez, grandson of Cesar Chavez and with the Cesar Chavez Foundation, will be one of the speakers and help lead the march and festival. The march, beginning with a ceremony at 9:30 A. M. in front of the PUSD Administrative Offices, will include elder leaders from the community including Superintendent Richard Martinez, Civil Rights and past farmworker organizer Magdaleno Rose-Avila, Reverend Jan Chase, Bishop Herbert Wilkins, and Ohlone Tribal Leader Dee Dee Manzaneres who will honor a 300-year old tree, symbolizing respect for our elders and the sacredness of the environment. After, a pilgrimage walk, led by Danza Grupo Toyaacan, will make its way to Garey High School where Garey High School Principal Marco A. Sanchez, Service Learning Coordinator Paul Knopf, Community Schools coordinator Melissa Ayala, and Cesar Chavez Foundation leader Andres Chavez will present scholarships and lead the planting of a small tree representing the sacredness of our quality of life and our young people. The entertainment will include the Son Real Band, Danza Azteca Toyaacan, Ballet Folklorico Jalisco No Te Rajes, Le Chic Filipino Dance Group, Spoken Word artists Fabian Pavon and Alex Xipecoatl Juarez. Food will be made by the parents with all the proceeds going to student scholarships. This year, a special recognition will be made by the Cesar Chavez Pilgrimage Committee and the City of Pomona to the parents for their years of service to this event.
Sponsors include:
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community; Cal Poly Pomona Cesar Chavez Center; CLEAR; dA Center for the Arts; Garey High School; Latino & Latina Roundtable; Latino Student Union; LUSA-Citrus College; MEChA (UPV: Cal Poly, Ganesha High School, Garey High School, Mount SAC, Pomona High School); Mt. SAC IDEAS; NAACP Pomona Valley Branch; Office of State Senator Connie Leyve, Pitzer Center for Community Engagement; Pitzer Encuentros; Pomona City Council; Pomona College Student Union; Pomona Community Schools; Pomona Economic Opportunity Center; Pomona Student Union; Pomona Unified School District; Pomona United for Stable Housing; PUSD Parents; Teamsters Local 1932, UFCW-1428; University of La Verne Civic and & Engagement Center; Urban Based Action Network
Jose Zapata CalderonEmeritus Professor of Sociology and Chicano/a and Latino/a Studies1050 North Mills AvenueClaremont, CA 91711-6101(909) 952-1640 Jose_Calderon@pitzer.eduWebsite: www.josezcalderon.com
