Scripps College continues its annual tradition of commemorating the life and legacy of union leader César Chávez by hosting farmworker activist Rosa Martha Zárate MacÃas, who will discuss “We Have Lived Here, We Have Struggled Here!” at noon on March 25 in the Hampton Room, 345 E. 9th St. This free event is open to the public.
During her talk, Zárate MacÃas will examine her work helping disenfranchised communities. She also will perform. In the 1970s, Zárate MacÃas marched alongside Chávez and Dolores Huerta, and she continues to advocate for California farmworkers through her community organizing and her music.
Community activist and singer Rosa Martha Zárate MacÃas
A singer/songwriter who has performed throughout Latin America and in Portugal, Zárate MacÃas has been most recently helping Mexicans who worked as farmworkers in the United States during the 1940s through the 1960s and who were not properly compensated for their labor.She is also currently a member of the Mesoamerican Migrant Movement, which advocates for humane treatment of Central American and Mexican migrants as they travel from their hometowns to the U.S.-Mexico border. She is the co-founder of the San Bernardino-based Libreria del Pueblo, Inc., a nonprofit that provides immigrants with a range of social services.
Zárate MacÃas sings about the struggles of the poor in many of her songs, often highlighting the plight of migrants.
Commemorating César Chávez’s life and legacy not only honors his work and an important chapter of California history, but it also reflects on the kind of social justice activism that many Scripps students, faculty and staff bring to the campus. For more information about this event, contact the Office of Public Events at 909-607-9372.