Darryl Morin, national president of the advocacy group Forward Latino, jumped out of his chair when he saw on TV – a bust of civil and labor rights leader Cesar Chavez just behind President Joe Biden while he signed executive orders.
“I literally jumped out of my chair and shouted: ‘This is Cesar Chavez! Cesar Chavez! ‘”Said Morin, whose group took on civil rights and anti-discrimination causes on behalf of Latinos.
The bust, created by artist Paul Suarez 25 years ago, quickly caught the attention on social media.
He was on a console amid family photos behind Biden as he sat at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office and signed a series of executive orders, several on racial equality and combating the Covid-19 pandemic, which was brutal with the rural workers that Chávez defended. Biden is also sending Congress an immigration bill that would give rural workers temporary legal status if they pass criminal background checks and work in the agricultural field for four of the past five years.
“When I think about everything that our community has gone through in the past four years, there cannot be a stronger message of empathy and about the importance of our community in the future,” said Morin, whose group took on civil rights and anti-discrimination causes on behalf of Latin.
The seizure took place in La Paz, California, at the Cesar Chavez National Monument and was sent to Washington at the request of the White House, according to the Cesar Chavez Foundation. The foundation said it had never been to the Oval Office.
“Placing a bust of my father in the Oval Office symbolizes the new hopeful day that is dawning for our nation,” said Paul Chavez, Chavez’s son and president of the Cesar Chavez Foundation, in a statement. “This is not just because it honors my father, but more importantly because it represents faith and empowerment for an entire people in whose name he fought and sacrificed.”
One of Biden’s White House officials, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, director of the Office of Intergovernmental Relations, is Chávez’s granddaughter.
“I am very excited and honored that this is something he chose as a symbol in his office,” Chávez Rodriguez told NBC News. “It is an honor and a real tribute to the community.”
The Latin community was disproportionately affected by the pandemic, with higher rates of cases and deaths. Most of the people without legal status who live in the country are Latinos, including many rural workers.
Dolores Huerta, a civil rights leader who organized workers with Chavez, did not see the video or photos of the seizure when contacted by NBC News late on Wednesday, but was informed of her presence at the White House.
“I think it’s exciting that he did that. It is like a bow to rural workers and doing so in the face of Cesar’s apprehension shows his sincerity, especially when it comes to workers, “she said.” Biden’s commitment to workers is very strong. “
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