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Senators back inclusion of La Paz on historic places list

California Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer on Friday urged the National Park Service to list Nuestra Señora Reina de La Paz (La Paz) in Keene on the National Register of Historic Places.

La Paz was the home of farmworker rights leader Cesar Chavez and the headquarters of the farm labor movement for 22 years. It's where Chavez is buried.

The National Park Service has been surveying some 80 sites in California and Arizona tied to Latino history for some sort of federal recognition.

Here's the senators' letter:

"César Chávez was the preeminent figure in the movement for farm laborers' rights in the twentieth century. In 1962, he founded the National Farm Works Association, which later became the United Farm Workers. His use of nonviolent protest tactics in the Delano grape strike of 1965-1970; the fasts of 1968, 1972 and 1988; and numerous other protests around the nation became the model for the labor movement. Under Chávez's leadership, the United Farm Workers successfully won higher wages and safer working conditions, reduced use of toxic pesticides, and more equality for the families of farm workers.

In 1971, Chávez and his family moved to Keene, California, to La Paz, a 187-acre property nestled in the rolling foothills of the Tehachapi Mountains of eastern Kern County. More than a family residence, the serene setting and beautiful landscape at La Paz became a sanctuary for the many who joined the farm labor movement as a result of Chávez's inspirational leadership. La Paz was where Chávez worked tirelessly to help farm workers achieve social justice and fair representation until his death in 1993.

Today, visitors from all over the world visit the National Chavez Center at La Paz to learn about the life, work, values and accomplishments of César Chávez. La Paz is a monument to Chávez's life and a revered landmark for those who continue his life's work, and as such, continues to serve as the headquarters of the United Farm Workers today.

Although he passed away nearly two decades ago, César Chávez's legacy of social justice is alive and thriving. The story of César Chávez and his indefatigable determination to bring justice and equality to all farm workers is a story that must carry on for future generations. We respectfully urge you to approve the nomination of Nuestra Señora Reina de La Paz for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

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