FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Mar 31, 2022

WASHINGTON, D.C. – AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, today released the following statement from its CEO, Michael D. Smith, in honor of César Chávez Day:

“César Chávez was not just a champion for equity and an advocate for the working class, he also inspired millions of Americans to join the fight for safe and healthy workplaces. Today, we honor his legacy with a national moment of service.

“Chávez’s leadership secured countless families a safe place to live, challenged the status quo to provide Americans fair wages for their work and improved working-class families’ access to education.

“His humble, yet powerful, words, ‘Grant me courage to serve others; for in service there is true life,’ embody the heart of the AmeriCorps mission. Millions of AmeriCorps members, AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers and AmeriCorps alumni follow in his footsteps by addressing the challenges that face our nation every single day.

“Chávez’s legacy is an excellent reminder that equity work must carry on until all Americans are given the chance to succeed and benefit from what this nation has to offer. I hope that all who can, join me and our neighbors to uphold the enduring values of freedom and equal dignity Chávez embodied."

In honor of César Chávez Day, Smith joined Julie Rodriguez, deputy special assistant to the President and director of White House Intergovernmental Affairs for a roundtable discussion with AmeriCorps members and alumni. ServeDC hosted the event with members from AmeriCorps programs in the greater Washington, D.C., area that are working directly with Latino communities, including Latin American Youth Center , Literacy Lab and CASA de Maryland . The discussion centered on civic engagement, community leadership within the Latino community and the interconnected challenges and opportunities across low-income and underserved communities.

Smith made brief remarks, Rodriguez shared lessons learned from her grandfather, César Chávez, and Rodriguez led the group in the signature “unity clap”, which originated with the United Farm Workers to bridge the communication gap between Latino and Filipino Farm workers who did not share the same language. The clap starts slowly, then gets faster and faster like a heartbeat. The clap is used to bring diverse groups together and close a collective gathering.

AmeriCorps, the federal agency for volunteerism and national service, provides opportunities for Americans to serve their country domestically, address the nation’s most pressing challenges, improve lives and communities, and strengthen civic engagement. Each year, the agency invests more than $800 million in grants for local nonprofit, community, tribal, and state organizations; places more than 250,000 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers in intensive service roles; and empowers millions more to serve as long-term, short-term, or one-time volunteers. Learn more at AmeriCorps.gov.