Fullerton College Ethnic Studies Department will host a celebration event to honor civil rights leader Cesar Chavez.

The celebration will be held on Thursday, Mar. 22, in Room 1421 from 7-10 p.m.

There will be an “ofrenda” which is a tribute alter dedicated to Cesar Chavez’s life contributions, poetry readings written by students and a variety of Hispanic foods.

“We will have farm worker beans and tortillas, drinks, chips and salsa, pan dulce and a cake,” said Gerald Padilla, Ethnic Studies professor.

Padilla’s Introduction to the Chicana/o studies class will be the primary host of this celebration with the help of the Ethnic Studies department. It is a celebration of the iconic labor leader who dedicated his life to help improve the lives of farmworkers.

“We are celebrating this mans life because he’s a major character in the Chicano experience, which is an American experience, It’s as American as you can get.” Padilla continued.

This celebration will also serve as an observance of Cesar Chavez’s birthday, which is on Mar. 31.

“Cesar Chavez was a labor leader, a civil rights activist and a humanitarian who embraced the notion of non violence,” Padilla added. “With the help of Dolores Huerta, they co-founded the United Farm Workers Union.”

For more information about the Cesar Chavez celebration, contact Padilla at [email protected]