National park advocates embrace culture at César E. Chávez monument

Celebrating the outdoors has been a part of Latino culture for centuries. This month I joined a group of young Latinos and friends to make the pilgrimage to California to honor the life, family and legacy of a person revered by many Yuma and San Luis residents: César E. Chávez. We visited a new National Park Service (NPS) monument that honors his legacy.

The César E. Chávez National Monument, known also as Nuestra Señora Reina De La Paz is a 108acre site located in the Tehachapi Mountains in Keene, Calif. The flowery and lush visitor center and memorial is one of the only NPS sites to celebrate the legacy of a contemporary Mexican American — now recognized as one of the most important U.S. Latino leaders of the 20th Century. Growing up in San Luis and raised by farmworker parents, I know firsthand of his family’s sacrifices for us. His family foundation manages almost 100 acres of the site, with NPS owning and co-managing the rest. It is built around the Chávez office and memorial gravesite — the place where he, his wife Helen Fabela Chávez and their eight children worked together with Dolores Huerta and hundreds of farm workers and supporters to unite farm workers to gain more pay, rights and freedom. The motto he coined with Dolores Huerta, ¡Si, Se Puede! — translated to “Yes, we can,” spurred on the community to victory.

Chávez was born near Yuma on March 31, 1927. As a labor leader in California, Chávez led non-violent marches, called for boycotts and went on several hunger strikes. His hunger strikes may have contributed to his death on April 23, 1993, in my hometown of San Luis. More than 40,000 people attended his funeral in California, which made us want to see the areas where he spent his life.

My favorite part was Chávez’s office, which was left exactly as it was when he died. But deferred maintenance has been taking its toll. His original office was almost lost — in fact, the building that housed it couldn’t be saved. However, the office walls were preserved, and Smithsonian historians measured and documented all the items so they could recreate it.

We also had the opportunity to visit The Forty Acres, a National Historic Landmark located one hour from the Monument in Delano, Calif., which was the first headquarters of the United Farm Workers labor union during the Delano grape strike of the 1960s. The Filipino Community Hall in Delano, McDonnell Hall in San Jose and the Santa Rita Center in Phoenix are all eligible historic sites to become part of the Monument in the future — to tell the full story of César E. Chávez’s historic achievements.

Called the mother of the United Farm Workers Union, Chávez’ wife, Helen, was a powerhouse in her own right. She met César at a Delano malt shop in the mid-1940s, and the couple married in 1948, after his service in the U.S. Navy. She ran the Farm Workers Credit Union for 25 years, which loaned more than $20 million to UFW members. She is now buried next to César at the monument, in a lovely rose garden near cacti planted in honor of his time in Arizona.

While there, we volunteered by (weeding in the beautiful gardens) to support the park, to help ensure young Latinos and others can have a similar moving experience. Since Helen’s death, there will be more repairs needed at the monument, as the NPS will manage her home as part of the visitor experience.

It worries us that this important part of our nation’s history was almost lost, but we aren’t surprised. This isn’t the first time our group got together to help fix our national parks. Last year, in honor of the NPS’ 100-year anniversary, we camped and volunteered at the Grand Canyon, which has $580 million in overdue repairs, including $150 million to repair the pipe that brings fresh water to the South Rim.

All told, there is almost $12 billion in deferred maintenance at our national parks. Overdue repairs are compromising these majestic places and are threatening our ability to preserve our history. We hope Congress will pledge its support to invest in the repairs needed at our national parks. Senators McCain and Flake can support this effort by cosponsoring S. 751, the National Park Service Legacy Act.

Exploring some of our American treasures helps us do our part; now we hope lawmakers will do theirs. Together, sí se puede! Yes we can — #fixOurParks.

Fabiola Delgado is a graduate of San Luis High School and the University of Arizona.