March 27, 2025

Dear SRJC Community,

On Monday, March 31, 2025, the District will be closed in recognition of César Chávez and Dolores Huerta—two of the most influential civil rights leaders in American history.

Chávez and Huerta organized alongside farmworkers, students, and families to fight for humane working conditions and livable wages in California’s Central Valley and beyond. Through grassroots action, they built a powerful labor movement rooted in dignity, equity, and the belief that change begins in our own communities. Their impact extended far beyond agricultural fields—they helped shape a broader civil rights movement that demanded fair treatment, equal opportunity, and democratic participation for all.

Part of my educational experience as a Central Valley kid included learning about the 1975 Agricultural Labor Relations Act, which describes and protects the rights of agricultural workers to choose whether or not they want a union to negotiate on their behalf about their wages and working conditions. This was an act that was influenced by the 1965 national grape boycott and the California grape industry signing a three-year collective bargaining agreement with the United Farm Workers Association in 1970. I learned about these monumental acts, not through my schooling, but rather from the stories being told in my family and in my neighborhood. Sometimes we learn from our home communities about that which impacts us before we learn it in our schools.

In 2019, SRJC was honored to host Dolores Huerta on the Santa Rosa campus for a powerful conversation about activism, courage, and the lifelong work of organizing. Her message was clear then, and rings even louder today: justice is not guaranteed; it must be claimed, protected, and advanced by each generation.

At a time of deep division and rising threats to civil rights, the legacies of Chávez and Huerta urge us to stay engaged—advocating for equity and justice.

This day of recognition is more than a moment of reflection; it is a call to action. Let us honor these leaders by supporting community organizations, engaging in advocacy, and learning about the impact of Chávez and Huerta’s organizing and activism. Civic engagement, education, and solidarity are how we carry their work forward.

In Community,  

Dr. Angélica Garcia, Ed.D.
Superintendent/President
707-527-4431, angelicagarcia@santarosa.edu