Establishment of the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument

Proclamation 8884 of October 8, 2012 Establishment of the César E. Chávez National Monument A Proclamation The property in Keene, California, known as Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz (Our Lady Queen of Peace) (La Paz), is recognized for its historic significance to César Estrada Chávez and the farm worker movement. César Chávez is one of the most revered civil rights leaders in the history of the United States. From humble beginnings in Yuma, Arizona, to the founding of the United Farm Workers (UFW) movement, César Chávez knew firsthand the hard work of farm workers in the fields across the United States and their contribution to feeding the Nation. He saw and experienced the difficult conditions and hardships that confronted farm worker families. And through his hard work, perseverance, and personal sacrifice, he dedicated his life to the struggle for respect and dignity for the farm workers of America. His faith, his passion for nonviolence rooted in the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Mohandas Gandhi, and his inspirational leadership are best reflected in his own eloquent words: “When the man who feeds the world by toiling in the fields is himself deprived of the basic rights of feeding, sheltering, and caring for his own family, the whole community of man is sick.” La Paz served as the national headquarters of the UFW and the home and workplace of César Chávez, his family, union members, and supporters. It remains the symbol of the movement's most significant achievements and its expanding horizons. In 1972, the UFW made La Paz its official national headquarters. With existing residential buildings, administrative spaces, maintenance shops, and supporting infrastructure from its former use as a tuberculosis sanatorium, the property supported a new community almost immediately. César Chávez and his family moved to the property, as did a fluctuating …