March 27, 2006	Volume 5, Number 10

Chavez Foundation presents issue paper on civic engagement

The Cesar E. Chavez Foundation, in collaboration with the Education Commission of the States (ECS) has released Legacies of Leadership and Inspiration for Today's Civic Education, an issue paper written by BetterLife Communications Co-founder Anthony Welch and Chavez Foundation Programs Director Julie Chavez Rodriguez. The document provides educators and policymakers with a framework for utilizing the legacies of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Cesar E. Chavez to inspire lifelong learning and civic action among today's youth.

Julie Chavez Rodriguez, granddaughter of Cesar E. Chavez, late civil rights and farm labor leader, and the daughter of Arturo S. Rodriguez, President of the United Farm Workers of America, was the keynote speaker and mentored students during the State Superintendent’s Service-Learning/Dialogues with Democracy Conference in Madison in February.

"ECS is honored to call the attention of today's students to the work of two 20th-century civil rights leaders who changed our nation," said ECS President Piedad F. Robertson. "Their lives and their work are an inspiration to students and teachers everywhere about the value of leadership, collaboration and civic engagement to promote economic and social justice for all Americans."

The paper presents lessons that illustrate the ways in which awareness and advocacy can be strengthened to support the civic mission of schools. It also provides specific examples of ways in which schools and communities are using the King and Chavez legacies, and offers recommendations to policymakers to build upon the King and Chavez legacies of leadership to create additional opportunities for effective civic education in American schools.

The paper highlights successful school and community programs that have been created and implemented through the work and philosophies of King and Chavez. In particular, the Kindness and Justice Challenge, created by the Do Something organization, has involved more than four million young people and 15,000 K-12 schools in community activities around the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday since 1997. Similarly, the Chavez Foundation's Educating the Heart program works with K-12 schools and community-based organizations in underserved communities across the country to combat academic and civic disengagement among youth. The paper is available from ECS at www.ecs.org and from the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation at www.chavezfoundation.org.

Last updated on 3/27/2006