Why I'm Marching
Jennifer Cost: AFT local 1931 member and San Diego Mesa College professor of English
Marching these two days, I feel something powerful stirring in people. This march is the beginning of something remarkable and unstoppable. I drove up from San Diego on Monday with another teacher, Berta Harris, and I thought we’d join people and create a good sight: marchers with a noble cause.
But I’ve learned a lot in these two days about how people live here in the valley, the land of Cesar E. Chavez. I begun to understand a tremendous lesson about strength,generosity, dignity, hope, unity. I am so moved by what I’ve seen--so many generous people in this valley, opening their schools, their hearts, waving and smiling at the spectacle of the bus and the marchers.
More than a few here know about marching, and many had marched with Chavez as he organized the UFW. His legacy is everywhere here. Yesterday at La Planada Elementary school as we marched into the school yard, some of the children started chanting “si, se puede!” yelling with their tiny voices, so powerful. Some even ran up to some of the marchers for their autographs! Later that evening, the children performed an amazing ballet folklorico. I have never seen such a beautiful performance. The school fed us and honored us. I want to thank everyone, the core marchers, but especially the people here for an awesome education about real unionism, and the true meaning of brother and sisterhood. March on.
No comments:
Post a Comment