By Hilary Olivares
In honor of late labor leader, César E. Chávez, the César Chávez Peace and Justice Committee of Denver (CCPJC) celebrated the 23rd annual Marcha and community celebration on April 13.
The annual event began with a traditional mass at St. John Francis Regis Chapel at Regis University in northwest Denver, followed by a Marcha through the neighborhood to César E. Chávez Park, along with a program acknowledging the impact of Chávez and his legacy of the Chicano Movement.
The event presents awards to community members and organizations who embody the ideals of Chávez and the United Farm Workers. This year Carlota EspinoZa, noted artist and muralist, was honored with the Anciana Leadership Award; Dr. Nicki Gonzales, professor of History and Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion at Regis University, was presented with the Adult Female Leadership Award; Milo Marquez, Director of Community Engagement at the Latino Research & Policy Center at CU Denver, received the Adult Male Leadership Award; Allessandra Chavira, Program Assistant with Project Voyce, received the Youth Female Leadership Award; and the Community Organization Award was presented to Homies Unidos Denver.
The event was live streamed by The Weekly Issue/El Semanario, watch the video here.
Ramón Del Castillo, PhD, one of the co-founders of CCPJC of Denver has given some insight on why this event is so important, and how it came to be. “We’ve got a template that we follow and we’re getting more and more support, and more and more kinds of resources that we’re able to do different things like the podcast with El Semanario and having newspapers call us and having a partnership with Regis University. All these are things that add value to what it is that we’re trying to do together,” said Del Castillo. He explained his life-long interest in the union (UFW) and found his passion. “In 1972, I was going to the University of Northern Colorado and it was at that time that I was introduced to the lettuce boycott that César Chávez had called…he had called the consumers to boycott head lettuce. I had already been in school, then I got drafted and then when I came back, I moved from Wichita, Kansas to Colorado and got involved with that. So, I was one of the chairs in the lettuce boycott, and that sparked my interest. Realizing the importance of it and what it meant watching my mother be a union worker in a packing house, and the many struggles she had and that kind of stuck. So, I kept that conscious, I built a consciousness and kept that.”
In honor of César Chávez and his commitment to community and those who support the structure of non-violence and healing, Grupo Tlaloc Danza Azteca, a Mexica/Azteca cultural icon group in the city of Denver for 35 years, offers blessings and performs annually at the Denver celebration.
Grupo Tlaloc Danza Azteca, a Mexica/Azteca cultural icon group in the city of Denver for 35 years, which has allowed for families and students of Chicano/Mexicano descent to participate. The danzantes marched alongside others before including a blessing and performing La Danza (the dance). This group is one of the oldest groups of its kind in Denver to thrive and spread knowledge of their ancestors through dance and ceremony.
Many attendees reflected on their participation in the annual celebration.
“My overall perspective was very inspirational,” said Danny Stange, community activist and danzante. “We had some great speakers and as usual the people marching were representatives of labor unions and social justice movements. The women involved were always outnumbering the men as it always was. Dolores Huerta is still very iconic and her spirit of grace and administration were evident in the planning and preparation.
“I was exceptionally proud to see members of SPMDTU [Sociedad Protección Mutua de Trabajadores Unidos] there and I finally got my membership with them. They are the oldest Hispanic advocacy organization. I especially feel inspired to attend this annual event because of César’s commitment to service learning and nonviolence. I believe the world is in too much turmoil and we need more focus on the type of movement that César Chávez represents.”
Nicki Gonzales and Adriana Espinoza, faculty members of Regis University also participated in the event. “I think the March was very powerful because we are still kind of following the footsteps of the legacy that César Chávez fought for but in a new context, and there’s something really powerful about a group of mainly people of color, marching through the gentrified streets of the Tennyson area and how we were just chanting,” explained Espinosa. “Again, like really living the legacy of what César Chávez and Dolores Huerta went through and also accomplished. So, I think looking at it through its new context of today was really powerful, but also just the paradox of us marching through a very newly highly developed area was really cool.”
Gonzales expressed her content and pride regarding the celebration. “Overall, I really appreciated the event as both recognizing the work that is being done in our community as well as building community around telling our stories. I thought the keynote speaker Dr. Falcón told us a really important Colorado Chicano movement story that has not been told enough and that is the story of Lupe Briseño. I was telling my own kids that events like that are so important because they do allow us the space to tell stories and pass them down to younger generations,” explained Gonzales. “It was also a good opportunity to see people in the community that I hadn’t seen in a long time, very grateful to the committee who did so much organizing and treated everybody so wonderfully. It really was a wonderful day.”
Del Castillo shared the challenges and achievements of the CCPJC of Denver over the past two decades. “One of the things we did was to get the name of the park changed [César Chávez Park]. So, I went to the city government, and I looked up all the rules. We sat down and we developed a plan and then we did all the work to get the name of the park changed. The point I’m making is that, at any given time, that community has been gentrified. But when we were there in 2002, that community was nothing like it is now. At any given time, that community, if they chose to, could get another petition, follow all the rules that we followed, and take it to parks and rec that they want the name changed again and therefore we lose our legacy, our identity and our struggle.”
Del Castillo’s hope is to carry on the responsibility and legacy to liberate the oppressed and take action on what the community can do better to sustain this event and keep César E. Chávez Park alive for years to come. This event generally takes place on or the week of Chavez’s birthday, March 31. To keep up and learn more about this event in the future, you can learn more at César Chávez Peace and Justice Committee Of Denver on Facebook.
Who is going to take care of the children?
Dr. Ramón Del Castillo
Editor’s Note: Dr. Ramón Del Castillo read the following poem during at the César Chávez Peace and Justice Committee of Denver’s Mass at St. John Francis Regis Chapel, Regis University on April 13, 2024.
Who is going to shovel
ashes of Ukrainian children
bodies burnt to a crisp
from the sweltering chemicals
invading their bodies,
and place them
into body bags,
ready to
mix them
with an ideological mortar
called human genocide.
Will vestiges
of human flesh
be spread
like mantequilla
across urban streets
of nations in turmoil,
casualties of death
caused by the elites
fatalities of technological warfare
of ruthless nations
hiding behind
modern day weaponry
fascists unable to discern
right from wrong
planning for the next attack?
Who is going to
pick up the ashes
of Palestinian and Israeli children
victims of religious zeal
armed and ready to kill.
Who is going to summon
withered spirits
roaming in country sides
floating in an abyss
of loneliness
as lifeless bodies
lie on cement streets
victims of a war torn nation
without an explanation
except to rationalize extermination
as unintended consequences
the price of war
leaving another a big scar?
Who is going to feed
farmworker children
their next meal
as they pick vegetables and fruit
from trees of survival
for wealthy American’s children
and their clandestine revival?
Who is going to wipe off
chemicals off a child’s face
as she becomes
an extinct race?
Who is going to
cuddle the quetzales
and los pericos,
whose destinies
of becoming bilingual pajaritos
to salvage the next generation
of raza suffering
from cultural extinction
now locked in cages
ripped apart from families
on both sides
of a fictitious border
covered with american drapes
so they won’t escape
while politicians
flicker a smile
as the border wall
stretches another mile.
Who is going to
salvage the broken hearts
of broken families
whose absconded children
perished in U-Haul trucks
skin melted
then pelted
by the sun’s rays,
children without names
sin sobrenombres
unfit to be sold
as modern day slaves?
Who is supposed to protect
third graders
innocent children
trembling under desks
in a classroom
while a half crazed
mental patient
suffers
from alienation
carrying assault weapons
during a crazy episodic event,
children whose caretakers
couldn’t muster up
enough courage
to save innocent lives
now etched in
a barrio’s memory
insanity at its best!
Who is going to
create termination rituals
for those young souls
who departed prematurely?
Who will do
una limpia
create harmony
restore balance
as spirits
march solemnly
into the 5th world
el Quinto sol
where wise healers
curanderas
shamanes
voodoo priests
spiritual leaders
have gathered
for a despedida,
a ceremony
to honor the dead?
Whose going
to tell them
a bedtime story
in their language
about a nation
losing its glory
as the power structure
takes advantage
watching spirits vanish?
What do we do
with the emaciated bodies
of Native Americans
uncovered beneath mother earth
dying in Native American prisons
euphemistically called
American Indian Boarding Schools,
children whose braids
were chopped off
names changed,
identities stolen,
culturally raped?
What words of wisdom
will Grandfather Creator
include in his sermon
during a spiritual reincarnation?
Will he summon
ancient flute players
invite the rhythms of drums
to play soft music
during their departure?
When will
he smoke
from the sacred pipe
full of peyote and sage
so we can heal from the rage?
When will the ghost dancer
Appear during a silent night
pray for healing
and take spirits
to nepantla
a sacred space
in between
two worlds
encircled with the sweet smell
of sacrosanct medicine
now left with
only a dark cloud
of sacred smoke
smoldering from
a revered pipe
a Medicine Man
praying for
a safe sojourn
during a second
trail of tears,
as human droplets
of memories
are sprinkled
onto la tierra sagrada.
La Curandera
under the light
of the moon
will perform
holy rites and rituals
blessing young lost souls
wading in
las lagrimas
de la gente.
Who is going to write
an epitaph
in the next history book?
To remind us
of a broken social contract
torn in half
by bewildered youth
Will it be you?
Dr. Ramón Del Castillo © April 12, 2024
