Published 2010-03-31T00:00:00Z”/>

Meghan Brown

Each Cesar Chavez Day, wide-brimmed sombreros and bikini-wearing girls line the streets of downtown Chico. The campus closes, providing students with a day off.

Between the day off from school and a campus-wide furlough following the holiday this year, students plan to take advantage of the break in a variety of ways.

While some students see the day as a perfect opportunity to celebrate with tequila and Mexican food, many find the festivities disrespectful and a mockery of another culture.

Senior Christian Garcia, president of the Multicultural Greek Council, hopes to join with Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano De Aztlan, a student-run organization on campus, in their teach-out program, he said. Members of MEChA will go to local middle schools and high schools and educate younger students on the importance of Cesar Chavez Day.

“I think for the most part it’s changed a lot since I first came here &- it was crazier,” Garcia said. “There has been a transition because Latino students have come together. Instead of attacking, we’re trying to educate.”

Cesar Chavez Day is especially important for the Latino community, which is significantly smaller at Chico State than at other campuses in California, he said. The day marks a valuable turning point in the community’s history.

A few years ago, a local bar offered discounted drinks for people who came dressed as farm workers, Garcia said. It offended the Latino community and inspired MEChA to take action to educate students on how important the holiday really is.

“People should be aware of what these holidays mean to certain groups,” he said. “Educate yourself before you just follow the crowd.”

Multiple events have been held on campus in celebration of Cesar Chavez Day since the beginning of the month.

Dolores Huerta, who worked alongside Chavez and is co-founder of the United Farm Workers of America, came to campus March 11 to speak about her experiences.

Asociacion de Teatro y Poesia, another campus organization, sold enchiladas as a fundraiser March 25 in celebration of the holiday. They also performed a play to celebrate the accomplishments of Chavez.

Jamie Fisher, president of Asociacion de Teatro y Poesia, worked at the fundraiser and was part of the play’s production.

“What Cesar Chavez did for his people is similar to what Martin Luther King did for his community,” Fisher said. “People don’t use Martin Luther King Day as an excuse to party, it doesn’t make sense.”

The fundraiser and the play are much better ways to celebrate Cesar Chavez Day than the usual revelry, she said. It shows people what farm workers had to go through to accomplish what they did.

Senior Vanessa Sandoval has also been part of the effort to educate the community on the historical importance of Cesar Chavez Day.

She was part of the teach-out put on by MEChA in the past, but this year she is going to take the day off and definitely avoid downtown, Sandoval said.

Many Latinos agree with Sandoval, she said. Some people made efforts to educate others on the importance of the holiday but it has not gone very far.

People running around wearing sombreros and dressing as farm workers is offensive, Sandoval said.

“It’s understandable that people want to relax on their day off, but it’s different when it turns into using someone’s cultural background as a theme for a party,” she said. “It’s fine to celebrate, but if you’re going to do so it should be done respectfully.”

Meghan Brown can be reached at <a href= “javascript:void(location.href=’mailto:’+String.fromCharCode(109,98,114,111,119,110,64,116,104,101,111,114,105,111,110,46,99,111,109)+’?subject=re%3A%20Partying%20on%20Cesar%20Chavez%20Day%20seems%20insensitive%20to%20some’)”> [email protected]</a>