What started as a debate over the celebration of the date of César Chávez’s birthday sparked long-standing concerns about an underrepresented Latino community at UCLA and other college campuses.
Hundreds of high school students from across Los Angeles County gathered Monday at UCLA to hold a demonstration to promote a new civil rights movement for Latinos, chanting “Aquà estamos, no nos vamos,” translated from Spanish into English as, “We’re here, we won’t go.”
It was the UC’s decision to celebrate César Chávez’s birthday on March 28, as opposed to his actual birthday, March 31, that led to Monday’s rally and march, which brought dozens of news stations to UCLA, including NBC and Fox News.
Abel Valenzuela, vice chairman of the UCLA Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies, said the university had the choice to celebrate the holiday on Monday but chose to do so on the Friday students were on spring break.
“I understand that the university has other fiscal responsibilities, but I do not think holding it on Monday would have cost them a great deal and, in fact, it would do a great service for the Latino population in California,” Valenzuela said.
California Bill SB 984 states public schools may be closed on March 31, known as “César Chávez Day,” or the appropriate Monday or Friday following or preceding that date, according to the California State Senate Web site.
“The decision to celebrate the holiday on the last Friday in March was based on issues with the academic calendar and final exams for those campuses on the quarter system,” said Nicole Savickas, spokeswoman for the UC Office of the President.
March 31, César Chávez Day, is formally known as a California state holiday, according to existing laws filed in August 2000. All 23 California State Universities did not hold classes on Monday, while all UCs did hold classes. Administrators and faculty in the UC system had March 28 off.
The demonstration was led by the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration and Immigrant Rights and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary to rally for proper representation of the holiday as well as Latino rights.
“César Chávez was a great leader for the Latino people, but this demonstration is about much more than that,” said Alejandra Cruz, the chairwoman of the coalition at UCLA. “We are here to fight for the Latino struggle he represents.”
Cruz said she believes that the fact that this holiday is not being represented on his actual birthday shows the type of misrepresentation of Latinos on campus when compared to the L.A. community. She said she hopes this movement will help students recognize that Latinos are not being given the same amount of opportunities provided to other races.
“I think the fact that UCLA, the premier public university in Los Angeles, does not recognize this Latino leader’s holiday is completely backward and unacceptable,” Cruz said. “Based on how outrageous this is, I have realized that this is a crisis we need to work together to fight against.”
Valenzuela said the University of California’s decision to honor Chávez’s birthday during spring break sends out a symbolic message that minimizes the importance of this important civil rights leader.
The administrative holidays are set on a UC statewide system by the UC Office of the President.
Savickas said that, while the administrative holidays are established by UCOP, college campuses set the academic calender themselves. She said UCOP tries to establish a date that best fits the schedule for all UCs.
Phil Hampton, university spokesman, said UCLA and other UC campuses have commemorated the Chávez holiday on the fourth Friday of March since 2004.
Valenzuela said the comparatively small populations of Latinos present on campus are embarrassing given UCLA’s stature and surrounding community. He said he believes the university needs to be more thoughtful about increasing diversity on campus.
“I believe affirmative action was one of several strategies that have brought more Latinos to UCLA in the past,” Valenzuela said. “There are also other methods UCLA can employ to increase the demographic of Latinos ““ such as increasing financial aid to minorities, outreach to underrepresented schools and diversity among faculty.”
Los Angeles City and Los Angeles County currently hold the largest total number of Latinos in California.
In May 2007, the class of 2011 had 657 Latino students submit their Statement of Intent to Register out of 4,636 total students who responded to UCLA’s offers of admission, according to the undergraduate admissions Web site.
Cruz said she believes the low numbers of Latino students being admitted to UCLA represent the lack of equality for the Latino community.
She said increasing the number of Latinos on campus would promote a greater voice for their struggle for equal civil rights.
Shanta Driver, the national co-chairwoman of By Any Means Necessary, said the students who showed up for the demonstration provided a new sense of hope, which will fire up responses from others to step towards an ideal society.
“These students are already leaders in this new civil rights movement,” Driver said.