2008 Woodie Awards
LSA dinner honors Cesar Chavez, local Latino leaders
Tania Banegas
Issue date: 4/2/08 Section: College News
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On March 30, just a day before his birthday, more than 150 IUPUI students, faculty and staff celebrated the first Cesar Chavez Dinner. The Latino Student Association hosted the event.
"He showed with his actions, more than once, that there are no impossibilities," LSA President Hilda Rojas said in her welcome speech. "Nothing is too difficult or non-achievable. It is people like him that our generations need not to forget."
Young and fresh Los Salseros del Barrio from George Washington Community High School played salsa music, followed by an award ceremony in which LSA honored those leaders in the community.
La Plaza earned the "Ayudando a mi gente" (Helping my people) award for providing services and programs that help the Latino population in Indianapolis.
Michelle Verduzco received The "Sígueme" (follow me) award for providing extraordinary service in guidance and assistance to Latino students outside of work.
Caridad Ax accepted The Academic Excellence award for having a 4.0 GPA and strong ethics.
The "Sí se puede" ("yes, we can" or more literal translation for farm workers "yes, it can be done") award was given to Amanda Bonilla for going beyond expectations in terms of proving student leadership for the LSA and never failing to inspire others.
With the Latin American flags in the background, Baldemar Velasquez, a highly respected national and international leader in the labor and immigrant movements, gave the keynote speech of the night, sending a strong message to continue the legacy Chavez started.
"Doing the kind of work Chavez did is not for everybody, he said. "You can't make those kinds of sacrifices day, after day, after day, and not expect it to take a toll on your life. You must have something inside that drives you to make something for somebody else and when you start getting selfish, that's is when you start getting in trouble."
Velasquez lives a life very similar to Chavez's. Like Chavez, he worked in the fields to help support his family and traveled from farm to farm in search of work. Chavez and Velasquez are founders of the largest farm worker organizations, The United Farm Workers and The Farm Labor Organizing Committee.
Velasquez raised goosebumps when telling a little bit of his story to the audience. He mentioned how his family would get cheated every week of hard work under the sun without water to drink.
"I was very little, but I knew how to count, that was the first thing my parents taught me," he said. It was important for Velasquez to count right because his family needed to keep track of everything they collected. But even when the farmer's math was incorrect, they didn't have an option. They couldn't complain.
What these two men have dedicated their lives to preventing, however, continues to happen each day and gets little attention.
"It is our duty as students to carry on the legacy of this great leader, Cesar Chavez, Rojas said. "He has showed us the way and given us the tools to continue building this bridge across injustice. Therefore, let's utilize these tools and take advantage of our countless resources to continue his mission."
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Theresa Bonilla
posted 4/11/08 @ 2:19 PM EST
I have always known you had the potential to stand up for what you belive in and who you believe in! We are so very proud! This is only the beginning for you! We can not wait to watch as the beautiful person we have always known is introduced to the rest of the world!God Bless!
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