Press Release

Latino Silence Would Bring Dishonor To Cesar Chavez

Posted: Wednesday, March 28, 2007

"California's highest ranking Latino elected official, Speaker Fabian Nuñez needs to speak out against a proposed, March 30th, statewide student boycott of classes in honor of the anniversary of Cesar Chavez's birth.

"With an educational system where less than 50% of our Latino children graduate from high school, and where less than one-third have the necessary grades to be admitted into a state university, remaining silent on the boycott of classes, seems counterintuitive to those of us who view education as a tool for economic and social mobility.

"In addition, it is difficult to imagine that Cesar Chavez, a man afforded only an 8^th grade education before leaving school to work in the fields to support his family, would welcome the boycotting of school as a form of honoring his life.

"Now is not the time for the majority party in California to 'turn their backs on our beautiful community.' We encourage the Democrat Party to publicly encourage our students to stay in school and to denounce any proposed school boycotts."

Hector M. Barajas, Communications Director, California Republican Party

Oakland And Los Angeles High School Students Plan School Boycott In Honor of Cesar Chavez.
"East Bay high school and college students announce plans to join students in Los Angeles and elsewhere for school boycott on March 30, Cesar Chavez Day, say all CA schools should be closed to honor the holiday." (Morning Report, 3/1/07; Jorge Morales Almada, "Convocan A Abando De Clases El Viernes," La OpiniÃ²n, 3/27/07)

Latino Graduation Rates: 43% Oakland; 39% Los Angeles

HS Grad Rates Chart

Only One In Five Black And Latino LAUSD Grads Qualify For Admittance to CA University
"And, even among the Black and Latino youth who complete high
school in Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), only one in five have
met the curriculum requirements to qualify for admission to a four-year public
university in California." (The Civil Rights Project, "Confronting the Graduation Rate Crisis in California," 2004, Accessed 3/27/07)

CSU College Freshman Not Proficient In Reading And Math Skills
"In all of the CSU system, more than one-third of the undergraduates who entered last fall were found not proficient in math, while 45 perfect of them lacked basic English skills." (Opinion, "Basically Unskilled," Los Angeles Daily News, 3/13/07)

Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez: "A Beautiful Community"
"California State Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez said, '...This week President Bush and Congress can decide whether to open their arms...or turn their backs on our beautiful community.'"(Rosalio Munoz, "Over 500,000 rally in L.A. for immigrant rights," People's Weekly World, 3/30/06)

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