Posted on March 27, 2015
Adult 1st – Leri Argueta, Rockdale County
How has César Chávez influenced your life and what impact will his work have on your future?
On March 31, 1927 a man who made a difference for immigrant farm workers and started a movement of change was born. As I reflect on the life of Cesar Chavez, it is without a doubt that he should be placed in the same category of civil rights activists like Martin Luther King Jr. Chavez led a movement and showed not only Latinos, but all farm workers not to settle for the harsh conditions and low payments. He influenced my life in many ways. Yet, the most important way he has influenced me is by showing me that with enough determination, conviction, patience, commitment, and a desire; one can make a difference in society.
I grew up learning the hardship of being the son of immigrants, specifically the Salvadorians, in this great country. Just like Cesar Chavez, other immigrant families, and families who live in poverty, I witnessed my parents lose everything as they worked ridiculous harsh hours to fed brother and I. From a young age I knew I wanted to take charge of my education and make a difference. I know the American Dream is hard and does not come easy, however it is more difficult for immigrants who come to this nation looking for a better life with little to none paper work. However, there are many inequalities that immigrants face today. I knew I wanted to make a difference and change this inequality from a very young age, but how?
When I was in the 8th grade, my US History professor handed me a book about the life of Cesar Chavez. He knew I wanted to make a change for the Latino Community in the future and he thought his story would inspire me. He was correct. Before I read his story all I had was a passion to make a difference, an eager mind to learn, and a heart filled with anger to people who treated my family so harshly and unequally. Mr. Chavez inspired me, to not let my heart of anger guide me to a path of destruction. I reinvented myself. I became the first in my family to graduate high school in 2012 and four years later I became the first college graduate of my family. Although my family was a major part of my success, Mr. Chavez also played a role to my current success as well. His story and words stuck to me as I challenged myself to become educated and learn to become a leader by going to school. As Mr. Chavez once said, “Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own.” My ambitions to become a Latino public figure advocating for equal rights and better treatment for Latinos in the Atlanta community stem from the injustices I witnessed throughout my life and the endless hours I worked alongside my father cutting grass to help pay bills and provide food on the table for my family as a kid. Opportunities should be available and not oppressed for the Latino community. No child needs to work harsh hours doing manual labor to help assist pay bills for their families while going to school. No immigrant should work for little to no pa with horrible work conditions just because they are not citizens, yet.
Mr. Chavez inspired me to find peaceful ways to push my agenda, to keep fighting for the equality for Latino and immigrants of this great nation, and to rise and be the leader continuing the movement he started in the 1960s. I just graduated the University of West Georgia this past December and although I have not landed a job yet, I am still pushing myself to continue the dream my family and I have. The dream is to be an educated and hardworking civil rights activist for the Latino community. I knew from a very young age I was meant for something big, it took the story of Cesar Chavez to help guide and show me what my dream truly is. I stand here today for equality, to fight for peace, and nothing will stop me as I travel along my journey to achieve everything I set out to do. Thank you Cesar Chavez.