If you happened to drive by Sanchez International Elementary School in Lafayette on Saturday afternoon, you would have noticed a big, yellow bouncy castle out front, as well as a 1970s van painted black with white, intricate designs. If curiosity led you inside, you鈥檇 be welcomed by the smell of authentic Mexican food, upbeat music, and people of all ages gathered together in celebration.
A woman from Natural Highs, a 麻豆影院-based organization that provides education on alternatives to drugs and alcohol, shares with attendees the organization's work.
This is not the typical scene you would expect to find at an elementary school on a Saturday.
However, for Elaina Verveer and the young people of the Lafayette Youth Advisory Committee, a community gathering with food, artwork, and activities is surely no uncommon occurrence. In the past twelve years, Lafayette has hosted a Cesar Chavez celebration to honor his life, legacy, and advocacy. For the past six years of the event鈥檚 existence, the committee composed of the city鈥檚 young people has spearheaded the event.
Cesar Chavez was a civil rights activist who advocated for the rights of Hispanic workers beginning in the 1950s. Chavez was most famous for founding the National Farm Workers Association (later known as United Farm Workers), a group that led marches and protests to fight for higher wages and better working conditions for Mexican-American people. His partner, Dolores Huerta, though not as well-known as Chavez, co-founded the organization.
Verveer, the program advisor of the youth committee, believes observing the work of Chavez and Huerta goes hand-in-hand with empowering young people.
鈥淔or me, the event is used as a vehicle to consider multiple social justice issues, and to really applaud young people,鈥� Verveer said. 鈥淭hey may be under 18, and they may not be eligible to vote, but they鈥檝e got capacities that adults simply lack. I think we have a lot to learn from them.鈥�
In years past, the Cesar Chavez Day event was targeted at youth specifically, as it included a march and rally that would happen after school on a Friday. This year, however, the youth committee decided to switch things up for the event to be more accessible to the entire community. Instead of a rally, the committee planned a聽convivio聽鈥� or gathering 鈥� with things to do for kids and adults alike.
鈥淚n addition to honoring Cesar Chavez, we wanted to use this year鈥檚 event as a way to build community, particularly within East Lafayette, which is primarily families who identify as Latino,鈥� Verveer said. 鈥淭hese are families who otherwise may not be able to or may not feel welcome to participate in a community event, particularly one that is city-sponsored.鈥�
For the younger crowd, crafts and activities were available; most notably, every kid鈥檚 dream fulfilled with the presence of an inflatable jumping house. For parents, various community groups held informational workshops on topics such as the health effects of marijuana, and how to navigate sending their child to college and managing financial aid.
Beyond activities, the聽convivio聽served as a gallery for advocacy groups composed of young people in the area to make their voices heard. Representatives from the Lafayette Peer Empowerment Project (鈥淟a PEP), Public Achievement (PA), and Latinos In Full Action (LIFE) came with artwork, petitions, and information to gain community support and hold discussions that mattered to them.
Some aspects of the event, such as a Mexican cuisine, a Zumba workout, and an old van transformed into a mobile art museum, brought people of all ages together, a theme that was common throughout the entire event. Despite differences of age, ethnicities, political backgrounds, and agendas, attendees were encouraged to listen, learn, and become empowered. Kern Shahi, a junior at the University of Colorado, values the event because of the platform it provides for marginalized people.
鈥淚t [the Cesar Chavez event] allows people in the community who are usually unheard and unseen to have a voice, and to express their stories and their views on how to move forward in America.鈥�
While the聽convivio聽contained elements that could be viewed as political, such as an elementary school group collecting signatures to protest Donald Trump鈥檚 campaign, Verveer and the Lafayette Youth Advisory Committee aim to simply create space for discussions about some of America鈥檚 most pressing issues, such as immigration.
MiaBella DiFiore, a senior at Centaurus High School, is proud of the progress that has been made in the Lafayette community, particularly with the Lafayette Youth Advisory Committee.
鈥淲hen I first joined [the committee] in seventh grade, it was pretty non-diverse,鈥� DiFiore said. 鈥淭hrough advocacy and reaching out to marginalized groups, we have more Latinos this year than we have had in the past. This event really matters to them, and it really matters to the committee that we have people who truly connect with the event.鈥�
Though the times of Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta may have passed, the momentum of fighting for civil rights and making all people鈥檚 voices heard is sustained throughout the community of Lafayette.