Cesar Chavez Park, maybe someone can recommend adding in a plaque that

[Guest guest]

he's a vegetarian. I'm sure a of people, especially

the latin people are not aware of that.

--

Chavez memorial rising in Berkeley park

By Jamie Luck, Special to the Daily Planet (05-18-02)

 

Berkeley is oft maligned by much of the nation for

being divisive and living in a sort of time warp, but

no more. A new monument is being developed in Cesar

Chavez Park that will provide Berkeleyans not only

with a sense of time but also of universal direction

-- a solar calendar.

The interim stage of the Cesar Chavez Memorial Solar

Calendar is being finished up this week, as members of

the East Bay Conservation Corps cleared a circular

hilltop area and laid out stones to mark the seasonal

position of the sun. The memorial not only honors

Chavez, but is also intended as an educational and

meditation center for Berkeley students and citizens.

 

“We’re building Berkeley’s version of Stonehedge,”

said Santiago Casal, the Chavez Memorial Calendar

Project director. “It is an appropriate way to honor

Chavez, not only because of his obvious ties with

agriculture, but also because of his universal and

meditative nature.”

 

Chavez, a non-violent activist who spent his early

life as a migrant laborer, found and led the only

successful farm laborer’s union in U.S. history--the

United Farm Workers of America. Casal says that

agriculture is so intrinsically tied to the seasons,

that a solar calendar was a fitting tribute to him.

 

Visitors to the monument will be able to read and

experience the progress of the seasons by standing in

the center and tracking the sun, either at twilight or

by reading the sun’s shadow via a center pole. “This

gives people a universal perspective, which fits

Berkeley. It also honors Chavez. He used to walk among

the hills outside Yuma and consult with nature--he was

a very meditative man.”

 

The calendar is more than a memorial, it is also meant

to serve as a field classroom and place of moral

direction. “The whole focus is to engage students

through service to honor Chavez,” Casal said. “Chavez

was a man who dedicated his life to service, and this

makes him an important role model to students.”

 

The calendar’s cardinal points will each represent a

virtue exemplified by Chavez. Though final decisions

have not been made, they will likely represent

courage, determination, hope, and tolerance.

 

Field classes will be organized for students to come

out and learn not only about Chavez, Latino heritage

and attributed principles -- but also get the chance

to learn about astronomy in an interactive way as they

learn the workings of the calendar. The calendar

consists of both outer and inner perimeters. The outer

ring contains eight stones: two indicate true north

and south, while the eastern and western horizon

contain three apiece. The east/west horizon stones

serve as a framework to read the seasons--the sun will

rise and fall along the southernmost stones during

winter solstice, and the northernmost at summer

solstice. The middle of the three stones indicates the

spring and fall equinoxes.

 

The interim calendar, which is being finished this

week, is a temporary structure. The final version of

the Cesar Chavez Memorial Solar Calendar will work in

the same way, only the stones will be replaced by

earthen berms, with slotted alignments for the

seasons. Both the berms, indicator stones, and the

gnomic center will incorporate artwork of cultural and

astronomical significance, according to Casal. He also

says the final version is a few years away, depending

on when an estimated $500,000 - $750,000 in funds is

raised.

 

In the meantime, people will be able to enjoy the

primitive version of the calendar, thanks to the

efforts of the Chavez Circle of Service -- the group

responsible for making the project happen -- and the

labor of the EBCC.

 

Even the choice of the EBCC to work on the project

reflects the “honor through service” that Casal speaks

of. EBCC workers are young adults seeking to gain a

high school diploma or equivalency while gaining work

experience through paid service to the community. “The

EBCC is a charter school education and training

program,” said supervisor Bill Ritchie. “The program

is a nice alternative for kids to work outdoors while

getting their diplomas, and contributing to this

memorial is especially significant.”

 

A special commemoration ceremony for the interim

calendar will be held on the summer solstice, June

21st, at sunset. It is located at the northwestern

corner of Cesar Chavez Park in the Berkeley Marina.

Everybody is welcome.

 

 

Contact reporter Jamie Luck at

jamie

 

(I will inform the report that Cesar is a veggie)sunny

 

 

 

LAUNCH - Your Music Experience

http://launch.