In Delano, Cesar Chavez Park and 40 Acres
Posted by 260 Miles of Blogging on Mar 09
Today, we walked 7.6 miles from McFarland Middle School to Cesar Chavez Park in Delano. Although it was cold, we moved really quickly and arrived on the outskirts of Delano way ahead of schedule. Just before we broke for lunch, who did we see but our friend Hilda again!
After lunch we entered downtown Delano and were greeted by UDW workers at Cesar Chavez Memorial Park
There was a huge rally at the park which included a keynote speech by the legendary Delores Huerta, co-founders of UFW along with Cesar Chavez. Delores reminded us that the establishment of United Farm Workers (UFW) was one of the great labor victories in American history.
Afterward, Irene Gonzalez, one of our marchers walking for the entire 48 days, commented on the significance of walking in Cesar Chavez' footsteps.
We then made our way from Cesar Chavez Memorial Park to 40 Acres Ranch, the site of Chavez' first public fast. We were escorted by local police Not only did many UDW workers walk with us, but many local Delano residents did too. The final stretch to 40 Acres was truly moving.
