USPS unveils Cesar Chavez stamp

I am convinced that the truest act of courage, the strongest act of manliness, is to sacrifice ourselves for others in a totally non-violent struggle for justice. To be [human] is to suffer for others. God help us to be human.

The US Postal Service has unveiled a Cesar Chavez stamp. Few have heard of Chavez, the founder of the United Farm Workers of America. Fewer still understand the reverence many Latinos (including me) hold for him. He is my hero, the personification of such concepts as "justice", "sacrifice" and "dignity". The ideal to which I aspire, a true national hero (one of only two Mexican Americans to have received the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- the nation's highest civilian honor). You can read more here or at the UFW website.

Non-violence is not inaction. It is not discussion. It is not for the timid or weak … Non-violence is hard work. It is the willingness to sacrifice. It is the patience to win.

Posted September 18, 2002 03:43 PM | Comments (9)