BRAWLEY — Tony Leon remembers shaking hands with iconic labor rights leader Cesar Chavez while helping his mother pick grapes in Coachella.
Leon, who today is head wrestling coach at Brawley Union High School, recalled Tuesday that his encounter with Chavez at the tender age of 14 gave him the impression that Chavez wanted something better for Leon and others like him, that the field “isn’t a place for young people.”
“To me, when I think of Cesar Chavez, he wanted something more for the younger generation,” Leon remembered of the co-founder of the United Farm Worker union. “He wanted to push people forward.”
Leon, this year’s recipient of the annual Cesar Chavez Si Se Puede Award, will be honored Saturday during the seventh annual Cesar Chavez Community Celebration at Brawley Cattle Call Arena.
Sponsored by the Brawley-based Institute for Socio-Economic Justice, the free event is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. and will feature three bands, including Tejano recording artist and Grammy award winner Little Joe y La Familia.
In addition, a 5-kilometer run and 2-mile run/walk benefitting the Anthony Garcia Foundation will start at 8 a.m. at Brawley Cattle Call Park.
Proceeds from the run/walk event will benefit the foundation that provides scholarships for local youth and helps families of cancer victims with medical costs, said Eric M. Reyes, executive director of the Institute for Socio-Economic Justice.
While Saturday’s event is free to the public, parking will cost $5, Reyes said.
“The driving message of the continued legacy of Cesar Chavez is the belief in giving service to others,” Reyes said. “A community is only as progressive as the people who live in it are in ensuring that the needs of all within the community are taken care of.”
Staff Writer Silvio J. Panta can be reached at 760-337-3442 or at spanta@ivpressonline.com
Leon, who today is head wrestling coach at Brawley Union High School, recalled Tuesday that his encounter with Chavez at the tender age of 14 gave him the impression that Chavez wanted something better for Leon and others like him, that the field “isn’t a place for young people.”
“To me, when I think of Cesar Chavez, he wanted something more for the younger generation,” Leon remembered of the co-founder of the United Farm Worker union. “He wanted to push people forward.”
Leon, this year’s recipient of the annual Cesar Chavez Si Se Puede Award, will be honored Saturday during the seventh annual Cesar Chavez Community Celebration at Brawley Cattle Call Arena.
Sponsored by the Brawley-based Institute for Socio-Economic Justice, the free event is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. and will feature three bands, including Tejano recording artist and Grammy award winner Little Joe y La Familia.
In addition, a 5-kilometer run and 2-mile run/walk benefitting the Anthony Garcia Foundation will start at 8 a.m. at Brawley Cattle Call Park.
Proceeds from the run/walk event will benefit the foundation that provides scholarships for local youth and helps families of cancer victims with medical costs, said Eric M. Reyes, executive director of the Institute for Socio-Economic Justice.
While Saturday’s event is free to the public, parking will cost $5, Reyes said.
“The driving message of the continued legacy of Cesar Chavez is the belief in giving service to others,” Reyes said. “A community is only as progressive as the people who live in it are in ensuring that the needs of all within the community are taken care of.”
Staff Writer Silvio J. Panta can be reached at 760-337-3442 or at spanta@ivpressonline.com
