Interns from Cesar Chávez Public Charter School for Public Policy met with the granddaughter of Cesar Chávez during a three-week internship at the Farm Service Agency. Pictured (back l to r): Derrick Hazel, Derrick Murphy, Dondre Young, James Quigley; (front l to r): Keviar Myers, Christine Chávez, Tina Starr.
By Latawnya Dia, public affairs specialist, Farm Service Agency
Six rising seniors at the Cesar Chávez Public Charter School had the rare privilege of meeting the granddaughter of their school’s namesake.
Christine Chávez , granddaughter of Cesar Chávez and a farm worker coordinator in the USDA Office of the Secretary, spoke with students from the Washington, D.C. school who spent three weeks at the Farm Service Agency as part of a summer internship.
Chávez showed the interns a short video about her grandfather’s fight for social justice and spoke to the students about how he was successful in changing the plight of migrant farm workers. Students later had the opportunity to ask questions.
Tina Starr asked Chávez, “What was the most valuable thing that you learned from your grandfather?” Chávez responded, “Not to give up and to surround yourself with positive people who have the same goals.”
Keviar Myers asked, “Did your grandfather’s legacy lead you to work at USDA?” Chávez told the interns, “No, not really. It wasn’t until I heard Secretary Vilsack speak to farm workers in California; that spoke volumes to me. No other ag secretary has done that in the history of USDA.”
The Cesar Chávez Public Charter School provides a rigorous academic curriculum that ensures that 100% of its graduating seniors get accepted into at least one college or university. Part of its curriculum is that students create positive change in their communities and the world around them by participating in the Cesar Chávez Junior Fellowship Program that provides them opportunities to get involved in the process of affecting policy.
Although the interns have no immediate plans to pursue degrees or careers in agriculture, they do understand that Chávez played a bigger role outside the field of agriculture by bringing about change through determination and persistence. Chávez told the interns that another valuable lesson she got from her grandfather was to stay positive and keep moving forward.
