Cesar Chávez Remembered as Champion of Animals

Beloved Leader of United Farm Workers Extended Circle of Compassion to Animals

March 30th marked the fifteenth anniversary of the death of Cesar Chavez, the first Latino to be honored with a statewide holiday. March 30th is a holiday for California workers and an optional holiday for the state’s public schools. And 16 years after the activist and reformer was honored with In Defense of Animals’ Lifetime Achievement Award, his personal embodiment of humane values and exemplary leadership continue to inspire.

As he accepted the IDA award, Chávez said, "We need, in a special way, to work twice as hard to make all people understand that animals are fellow creatures, that we must protect them and love them as we love ourselves… The basis for peace is respecting all creatures… That’s the basis, the beginning for peace. …We know we cannot defend or be kind to animals until we stop exploiting them - exploiting them in the name of science, exploiting animals in the name of sport, exploiting animals in the name of fashion, and yes, exploiting animals in the name of food."

”Throughout history, the noblest hearts and minds among us have been zealous individuals who have fought for compassion and justice, denounced exploitation in all forms, and championed the cause of the innocent and the powerless,” said IDA President Elliot Katz, at the outdoor ceremony where Chavez was honored. “Cesar Chavez was a brilliant mind, a true visionary. Everything he said on that day still rings true today,” says Katz.