March 31 is Cesar Chavez Day, a day to honor the farmworker, labor leader, and co-founder of the United Farm Workers (UFW) union, who dedicated his life to fighting for fair wages, safe working conditions, and dignity for farmworkers from the 1960s through the 1980s.  

Regrettably, while we pause to honor Cesar Chavez for his human rights work, 30 years after his passing, immigrant farmworkers —remain under attack. 

Immigrants truly are the backbone of America’s farm workforce as nearly 70% of all farmer workers are immigrants. While roughly 40% of these immigrant workers are not fully documented, we all rely on them to sustain the nation’s food system. Despite their critical role, immigrant workers often are forced to endure policies that make it challenging for them to live in America to do the difficult and low-paying work necessary to sustain America’s food supply. 

These attacks don’t just harm workers—they harm all of us:
1.Fewer farmworkers mean fewer harvests, risking future food shortages.
2.A shrinking workforce means fewer crops in the market which drives up food prices, making healthy food even less accessible.
3.Families here and abroad suffer, as farmworkers routinely use the money they earn to sustain their families.

Instead of respecting these essential workers, and valuing the life-sustaining work they do, our nation enacts punitive immigration policies that jeopardize our nation’s food supply. These are the reasons why, instead of stifling education about how immigrants and BIPOC communities have helped shape America into the nation it is today, we should honor and celebrate the ways we all contribute to making it better and stronger.

As we pause to celebrate the legacy of César Chávez, let’s pledge to continue the struggle in his honor. Let’s carry forward his advocacy for farmworker rights. Let’s fight for a more humane and just immigration policy. Let’s demand that farmworkers receive a living wage and basic health coverage. Let the struggle continue, and may the spirit of César Chávez’s legacy inspire us to build a more just and inclusive nation—one that treats all people with dignity, respect, and decency.