News Release

César E. Chávez Naturalization Ceremony

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News Release Date: March 28, 2014
Contact: Ruben Andrade, [phone]
Contact: Sharon Rummery, USCIS, [phone]

KEENE, Calif. – César E. Chávez, National Monument and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service’s (USCIS) Fresno Field Office will present a naturalization ceremony on March 31. Twenty-three people will be sworn in as citizens by USCIS Fresno Field Office Director Jonathan Crawford at the visitor center of the César E. Chávez National Monument on the birthday of the legendary civil rights leader. National Park Superintendent Ruben Andrede, the son of a farm worker, will welcome the visitors to the historic site and Paul Chávez, son of César E. Chávez, will give remarks.

César E. Chávez National Monument was established as a unit of the National Park Service in October of 2012. The site is the final resting place of César E. Chávez, who, with others such as Dolores Huerta and Larry Itliong, started the United Farm Workers of America (UFW). This organization grew and expanded from its early roots as a union for farm workers to also become a national voice for the poor and disenfranchised. The enduring legacies of César E. Chávez and the farm worker movement include passage of California's Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975, the first law in the U.S. that recognized farm workers' collective bargaining rights.

The National Park Service and USCIS maintain a formal partnership to enhance citizenship ceremonies by holding them in national parks throughout the country. The agreement helps introduce new citizens to some of the nation’s most significant natural resources and cultural heritage sites. These historic and picturesque sites provide an ideal backdrop for citizenship ceremonies, where new citizens can learn about and reflect on American identity and the responsibilities of citizenship.

Date & Time: March 31, 11 a.m.

Location: Cesar Chavez National Monument 29700 Woodford-Tehachapi Road Keene, CA 93531

WHO: 23 new U.S. citizens from in and around Bakersfield

Media are welcome to cover this event. Public Affairs Officer Sharon Rummery will find some interesting people for you to interview, before or after the ceremony. Call her in advance, or check in with her at the ceremony.
 

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