By Joe Bernick

People's Weekly World

www.pww.org

TUCSON, Ariz. - The demand for a Cesar Chavez holiday is being heard loud and clear in his native state of Arizona.

Over 100 supporters, representing a coalition of labor and community groups, held a press conference May 23 to formally launch a campaign for a paid holiday in Pima County, home to over 850,000 Arizonans.

Salomon Baldenegro introduced some of the 20 groups that make up the growing Chavez Holiday Coalition. Baldenegro, a longtime Chicano activist and a leader of the coalition, set the goal of winning a paid holiday at the August meeting of the Board of Supervisors. Supervisors Dan Eckstrom and Raul Grijalva, the two Mexican Americans on the five-member board, attended the press conference and pledged their full support.

Tucson NAACP leader Dr. Johnny Bowens pointed out that this country honors many monuments to war but few to peace. He called Chavez a monument to peace.

Ian Robertson, president of the Central Labor Council, pledged the support of 36,000 AFL-CIO members in Southern Arizona.

The state of Arizona and Pima County already enacted a day in memory of Chavez last year, but coalition leaders feel that Arizona should follow California's example and pass a paid holiday for its native son.

The coalition is meeting weekly to plan for winning another vote in the county board. A prayer vigil is planned for Aug. 2 and a rally for Aug. 4.