SAN ANTONIO — Cesar Chaves started his work as a community organizer 75 years ago. Still, his legacy continues to inspire change. At the 27th annual Cesar Chavez March for Justice in San Antonio, local and state leaders called on the community to continue to fight against injustice.
"We have to work. We have to put in our part. We have to vote. We have to vote against the injustice that is before us, "State Senator Roland Gutierrez" said.
Gutierrez continued to call for change in Texas after the horrific shooting at Robb Elementary School and after the deaths that resulted from winter storm Uri.
He and other leaders also called for better pay for Texas teachers, and better health benefits for firefighters.
"Together, we will continue to ensure that our teachers and our students receive the fair wages that they deserve," San Antonio District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo said.
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg also took issue with state attempts at book bans.
"They take away books that try to help us recognize the importance of our own history as they attack the dignity of people in our community," Nirenberg said. "Marching in the streets is not history. It's action for progress. It's action to protect our democracy."
After local leaders spoke, several hundred people marched from Guadalupe street to Hemisphere park. The march included students and teachers from local school districts, union members from IBEW 60 and VIA Metropolitan Transit, and other organizations, the Bexar County Sheriff's Office and many others.
"We march because progress still needs to be made," Nirenberg said. "History is not just in Textbooks."