Events set in recognition of Cesar Chavez Day
CHICO » Chico State is hosting a series of three events for Cesar Chavez Day beginning on Monday which will be capped by an in-person event for students entitled “‘Cats in the Community” on Wednesday.
The week’s events will kick off with a screening of the film “Food Chains,” which according to the film screening’s website, “exposes the abuse of farmworkers within the United States and the complicity of the multibillion-dollar supermarket and fast food industries.” The film focuses on a group of tomato pickers from South Florida who are revolutionizing farm labor to ensure a dignified life for farm workers.
Food Chains will be available online for 48 hours to Chico State students through the link vimeo. com/showcase/chico-foodchains, with the password foodchainsprivate329.
On Tuesday a panel discussion and question and answer forum entitled “Farm to Fork through the Lived Experiences of our Agriculture Workforce” will be held from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Panelists scheduled to appear at the discussion include Chico State alumni Neil Tung, professor in the department of International Languages, Literatures and Cultures at Chico State Antonio Arreguin-Bermudez, as well as professor in the School of Social Work at Chico State Vincent Ornelas.
“Our hope is to have conversations around labor stereotypes in agriculture, the importance of being knowledgeable of where food comes from and understanding of state and federal labor rights across the agriculture food chain,” the Chico State event page said. “The goal is for students to walk away with a deeper understanding and appreciation for the agriculture workforce across the United States and in their local communities.”
All students attending the forum will receive a free meal through Associated Students dining.
‘Cats in the Community
On Wednesday, the day of Cesar Chavez Day, Associated Students is hosting ‘Cats in the Community, an event that has been going on since 2008 and is the “catalyst” event of the week, according to Associated Students Marketing Manager Anna Paladini.
In partnership with the Chico State organization Community Action Volunteers in Education, Chico State students will volunteer at five different locations around Chico.
Community Action Volunteers in Education Program Director Keith Crawford said that students will be spread around five different locations including the Boys and Girls Club in downtown Chico, lower Bidwell Park near One-Mile Recreation Area, as well as three different locations on the bike path on Nord Avenue near Chico State. Each location will be allowed 15 volunteers, with masks and proper COVID-19 precautionary measures required at all locations.
Along the bike path students will be helping pick up garbage, as well as reporting any maintenance issues to the city of Chico. At One-Mile Recreation Area students will help clear overgrown and invasive species of plants in addition to garbage pickup and at the Boys and Girls Club students will help with “beautification” on the exterior of the facility.
Crawford said he got the clearance for students to participate in the in-person volunteer event on the bike path in early February, while the Boys and Girls Club and lower Bidwell Park got clearance just in early March.
“I think just in the world now, in the US now, but even at Chico State, the fact that we’re able to start doing a few outdoor in-person events just feels really exciting and it kind of feels like a light at the end of the tunnel,” Crawford said. “And the fact that we’re able to say that we have 50-75 students doing something today, in-person is pretty exciting.”
Crawford said that after beginning the planning process towards the beginning of the fall semester, a day of service in-person Wednesday feels like something the organization has been waiting on for nearly a year.
Any Chico State student is welcome to join any of the events, including Wednesday’s ‘Cats in the Community event.
To sign up for the ‘Cats in the Community event on Wednesday visit https:// www.givepulse.com/ event/225855.
The week long series of events is sponsored by the Associated Students, WellCat Prevention, the Crossculural Leadership Center, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, University Police Department, University Housing as well as University Communications.