Cesar Chavez Day was Saturday, March 31st. In Fresno, the Committee Cesar E. Chavez CO-CE-CHA held the 14th Annual Cesar Chavez Celebration. ( Photos & Video ) This year, the theme of the march was to stop all anti-immigrant raids. In Sacramento, there was a march at Southside Park and in San Francisco there was a march starting at 24th and Potrero. Many other events were planned around the state, including marches in Los Angeles, Santa Rosa, Bakersfield, Salinas, and Oxnard.

Sacramento: Cesar Chavez Marcha | Nationwide School Walk Out | Salinas: Marcha y Celebracion en Honor a Cesar E. Chavez | Watsonville: Immigration Forum and César Chávez Day Celebration | Cesar Chavez Youth Leadership Conference - Sierra College | UFW/Cesar Chavez Foundation Sponsored Chavez Day Events

A second-generation American, Cesar Chavez was born on March 31, 1927, near his family's farm in Yuma, Arizona. Throughout his youth and into his adulthood, Cesar migrated across the southwest laboring in the fields and vineyards, where he was exposed to the hardships and injustices of farm worker life.

Cesar's life as a community organizer began in 1952 when he joined the Community Service Organization (CSO), a prominent Latino civil rights group. Cesar's dream, however, was to create an organization to protect and serve farm workers, whose poverty and disenfranchisement he had shared. In 1962, Cesar resigned from the CSO, leaving the security of a regular paycheck to found the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers of America.

He led successful strikes and boycotts that resulted in the first industry-wide labor contracts in the history of American agriculture. His union's efforts brought about the passage of the groundbreaking 1975 California Agricultural Labor Relations Act to protect farm workers. Today, it remains the only law in the nation that protects the farm workers' right to unionize.

Cesar passed away in his sleep on April 23, 1993, in San Luis, Arizona. More than 50,000 people attended his funeral services in the small town of Delano, California. His motto in life -- "sí se puede" (it can be done) -- embodies the uncommon and invaluable legacy he left for the world's benefit.

Coverage From Previous Years: 2006 in Fresno | 2006: 241-Mile March for Peace | 2005: Marches and Parades in the Central Valley | 2005 March in Salinas | 2005 Parade in San Francisco | 2004: Central Valley Events Honor Chavez | 2004 in SF: Chavez Vive! La Lucha Sigue! | 2001 in SF: Holiday Parade and Festival

United Fram Workers: The Story of Cesar Chavez | The Life Of Cesar Chavez | Wikipedia: Cesar Chavez | César E Chávez Foundation | The Fight In The Fields