César E. Chávez National Monument celebrates rehabilitation project and new U.S. citizens on same day

A group of new citizens who participated in the naturalization ceremony, along with NPS Director Charles Sams.

National Park Service

César E. Chávez National Monument celebrated two significant events on October 11, 2024. A naturalization ceremony welcomed new U.S. citizens, and the Memorial Garden Rehabilitation Project funded by the Great American Outdoors Act and the National Park Foundation was celebrated.

National Park Service representatives, including Director Sams, were joined by staff of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and executive leadership of the United Farm Workers, the union co-founded by the civil rights activist whose life and legacy the monument celebrates.

During the morning ceremony, 33 new citizens swore allegiance to the United States. The new citizens hail from nine countries - Mexico, China, El Salvador, Guatemala, India, Jamaica, Jordan, the Philippines, and Yemen.

The National Park Service partners with USCIS to host naturalization ceremonies in national parks, and Sams said it was particularly fitting to hold one at a site dedicated to someone who fought for immigrant rights.

Throughout the ceremony, attendees enthusiastically chanted the UFW motto, "Si, Se Puede!" which translates to “Yes, we can!”.

Monument Superintendent Erin Gates remarked that the hillside behind the speakers was where Chávez climbed every morning to practice yoga, meditate, and watch the sunrise.

“This is a place where you can connect with nature like César did, and also a place to pay your respects,” she said.

The new citizens were overjoyed, including a couple from the Philippines.

"We're very happy right now, especially since it's our 21st wedding anniversary," said Joselito Doctolero, alongside his wife, Maridess Devera Doctolero. "We've been here for six years, and it has been wonderful for us to still be together."

Members of Chavez Environmental Corp, National Park Foundation and Corp Network leadership, as well as NPS leadership including the Director of the National Park Service celebrate the beginning of the GAOA Memorial Garden rehabilitation project.

National Park Service

Following the naturalization ceremony, a second event celebrated the ongoing work of the Memorial Garden Rehabilitation Project, which began earlier this year.

The $390,000 project is supported by the Great American Outdoors Act Legacy Restoration Fund and the National Park Foundation, with FIELD's César Chávez Environmental Corps performing the necessary work.

"I'm here revitalizing this beautiful monument that means so much to many people," said Angel Rodriguez, a 21-year-old FIELD worker who has been involved in the project since its inception in May. "Today means a lot to us. More people got to see what we did."

The project is addressing long-overdue maintenance and repair needs at the site where Chávez and his wife, Helen, are laid to rest.