twenty-five day fast: helen chavez, robert f. kennedy, cesar chavez, pete cardenas, larry itliong, andy imutan, julio hernandez

Today is Cesar Chavez Day.  If you are off today from school and work to observe this holiday- most likely you live in California (or the West Coast). Cesar Chavez is the esteemed Mexican-American Farm Labor Organizer of the 60s and 70s but most notably, the face and mouthpiece of the Delano Grape Strike of 1965.

It is too easy these days to attach a movement to one face, one voice, one personality – I mean, props to CC for getting the shine of such a monumental grassroots victory of the 1965 boycott and labor strike… BUT let’s just remember exactly how deep Cesar Chavez really rolled.

Today, I am personally honoring the bravery and swagger of these men and women farm workers, union organizers and allies alike who have banded together with agency to stand in opposition to exploitation for the fair wages and dignity owed to them.

So my day in the sun is yours as well, political ancestors like Larry Itliong and Dolores Huerta.  Although I am not off today, I tribute my labor to you and all other organizers (of the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee and the Mexican American-led National Farmworkers Association) who don’t have their own holiday.

Immigration is an issue that I care a lot about, because I think the way we treat people who want to come live in our country says a lot about who we are as Americans. That’s why I was so happy when Nebraska Appleseed contacted us about creating some ads for their “Nebraska is Home” campaign.

“Nebraska is Home” is part of a larger national campaign called Welcoming America, and it’s not just advertising– it’s real grassroots community organizing mixed with smart messaging designed to remind people of the true face of immigration in our country. The ads we created for them aren’t designed to confront every aspect of the anti-immigrant movement in this country. Instead, they’re about starting to create a counter-narrative: new families make us– all of us– stronger.

It’s a message, and a campaign, that we’re proud to support. The other ads for the campaign are after the jump.

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Along with many other couples, my girlfriend and I will be marrying at the end of June. We’ve been entrenched in the whirlwind of wedding planning. We’re looking at bridal magazines I thought I’d never read, making a registry, buying rings, etc. It’s been an exciting journey and poignant because we finally have the legal right to enter into this world of wedding planning madness.

Like many of California’s newest unions, our marriage will be viewed with mixed feelings. While we are used to and expect the religious right and conservatives to have a particular point of view about our pending nuptials, our wedding planning has revealed surprising, subtle discrimination from people who would consider themselves open-minded and supportive of gay marriage. Read the rest of this entry »