Sat. April 10: Honoring Cesar Chavez, a Great Vegetarian

[Guest guest]

Did you know that Cesar Chavez was a vegetarian? Cesar Chavez believed that

adopting a vegetarian diet was important for justice, peace, and non-violence,

and he encouraged those around him to follow his example. Because of Cesar

Chavez' philosophy, many leaders in the farm labor movement today are

vegetarian. If you didn't know Cesar Chavez was vegetarian, it's no surprise.

I checked NINE different biographies online, and only one (Wikipedia) mentioned

that Cesar Chavez was vegetarian. The Wikipedia article references a quote from

Cesar Chavez' niece Camila, which appeared in the online version of MAS magazine

in 2006 (excerpt below):

 

" With many Hispanics facing problems with obesity, high cholesterol and heart

disease, following a vegetarian lifestyle could help them lead healthier lives.

Camila Chavez found her transition to a vegetarian lifestyle not only easy, but

also saw it as a way to honor her uncle Cesar E. Chavez, co-founder of the

United Farm Workers union.

 

" 'Cesar was a vegan. He didn't eat any animal products. He was a vegan because

he believed in animal rights but also for his health,' Chavez said. 'Growing up

I was always surrounded by vegetarians and vegetarian meals were always an

option. When Cesar died, I decided to become a vegetarian in honor of him.' "

 

SO ... in honor of Cesar Chavez, let's get a big group of vegetarians (and/or

veg friendly folks) together to march in the Cesar Chavez Parade in San

Francisco!

 

Meet at 10:30 a.m., near 18th and Dolores, on the southwest corner of the

OUTSIDE of the tennis courts. This is so we can get our group organized for the

march. The official gathering time / lining up for the parade route is 11:00

a.m. The parade is scheduled to depart Dolores Park at 12:00 NOON and arrive at

24th St Fair (between Treat St and Bryant St) 1:00 P.M.. We can take some time

to enjoy the community event / street fair, and then we'll share lunch at a

nearby restaurant. Note that a Veg Booth and Veg speakers are planning to be at

the Street Fair, including Lyza Chavez.(*see below*)

 

Make and bring your own signs with your favorite quotes about vegetarianism. We

also need banners that say " Cesar Chavez was a Vegetarian " and/or similar

messages. It would be great to dress up as farm workers or farm animals, or

vegetables, to get more attention! I have a bicycle with a soul cycle sound

system, so I can play some tunes from any MP3 player to keep us energized. We'll

have a cart with Vegan Outreach flyers to hand out to people gathered along the

parade route.

 

In addition to a costume and signs, be sure to carry some water and snacks for

yourself, as well as any vegan treats (clementines, candy, cookies) that you may

want to share along the parade route. When you RSVP in the evite, please

indicate the kinds of signs and costumes you plan to bring.

 

Here's the Public URL for the evite:

 

http://www.evite.com/app/publicUrl/CNPFDIURWGJDWIRVIHXV/ccparade2010

 

Thanks Winnie, for inspiring me to get going on this!

 

 

VEG-Themed Activities at 24th St Fair (from:

http://www.sfvs.org/events.php)

 

Information tables by SF Vegetarian Society,

Go Vegan Radio with Bob Linden,

Love Every Animal with Lyza Chavez

In Defense of Animals with their Video featuring Chavez.

Speakers will include Bob Linden discussing Chavez's Animal Rights Activism &

Lyza Chavez speaking in Spanish informing the public that Cesar Chavez was a

vegan and eating as he did is the key to addressing Health Challenges faced by

the Spanish-speaking community.

Call 818-623-6477 for more information.