Audio: Alderman Pérez remembers past struggles on César Chávez Day

“Today, in this difficult hour of our country, I ask that you never tell the Chávez story backwards. Our minds are kind to us, and help us erase the pain, and the struggle, and difficult things, and leave us with memories golden as a statue. This can lead to a dangerous falsehood. It can let us forget that nothing worth having is accomplished without effort, without struggle. Our times are different, those who don’t understand our cause are different, and our fears are different. What endures and binds us, however, is an unshakable commitment to the cause of justice.” – Alderman José G. Pérez

Milwaukee lawmakers and members of the community gathered at City Hall on March 31 in honor of César Chávez Day, to celebrate the life of the labor leader and his legacy of helping the immigrant community. The legislative initiative to make it a state wide holiday was also announced at the event. This audio segment is a recording of the event news conference, and the speakers who included Alderman José G. Pérez, County Supervisor Peggy West, State Representative JoCasta Zamarripa, Wisconsin State Senator Chris Larson, and Ian Bautista.