PODER’s Hispanic Heritage Month Breakfast & Summit: Higher Education Summit

The Colegio César Chávez exhibit and a panel presentation about the university’s history and legacy were featured at the September 13th, 2024 Higher Education Summit at the Salem Convention Center.

Colegio Documentary (forthcoming!)

In the morning, Oregon Public Broadcasting Documentary Producer Alicia Avila spoke about her forthcoming short documentary about the legacy of the Colegio César Chávez. The documentary is planned to be available online in mid-October.

Panel Presentation

As part of the summit, the afternoon panel provided the historical significance of the Colegio César Chávez from 1970 to 1983, focusing on issues and personal successes during Colegio’s most difficult period. Discussion around Colegio’s historical impact and catalyst for equal educational opportunities for Chicano and other minority students also took place. In addition, the panelists shared some personal stories about César E. Chávez and the lessons they learned from their involvement with the Colegio.

The Colegio panel was a part of the Higher Education Track for the Summit:

Moderator: Natalia Fernández, Curator of the OSU’s Oregon Multicultural Archives & OSU Queer Archives.

Panelists: José Romero, Co-founder of the Colegio César Chávez and Colegio’s Director of Academic Affairs & Sonny Montes, Co-founder of the Colegio César Chávez and Colegio’s Director of Administrative Affairs. José is a retired educator, administrator, and community activist for social justice and equality, and he is a life-long advocate for the well-being of the Chicano/Latino community. José taught Chicano Studies at Lane Community College and at Colegio Cesar Chavez. Along with José, Sonny co-founded the Cesar E. Chavez Student Leadership Conference in 1990. Sonny was also a member of the Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard Committee in Portland, Oregon that was successful in renaming 39th Avenue in honor of Cesar Chavez. In 2010, he received the Distinguished Latino Educator Award from the Oregon Association of Latino Administrators.

The Exhibit

Colegio on Tour

The exhibit is on view to the public from mid-September to mid-October at the Newberg Public Library (503 E Hancock St, Newberg, OR 97132). If you are in the area, be sure to visit!

Bonus

A muralist spoke about his art and included a photo of a mural he worked on for OSU!

On December 12, 2023, PODER: Oregon’s Latino Leadership Network hosted an event to commemorate the official 50th Anniversary of the Colegio César Chávez. It was on this date in 1973 when Colegio community members decided on the name in honor of the activist. The event began with a presentation by Colegio co-founders Sonny Montes and José Romero followed by a community conversation, which was recorded and is available online. The evening continued with an introduction from PODER Board Chair Anthony Veliz; a welcome by Chemeketa Community College Woodburn campus Dean Elias Villegas; a reading of the Governor’s Colegio César Chávez Proclamation by Javier Cervantes, Office of the Governor – Racial Justice Advisor; and concluding remarks from Montes and Romero. And, the Colegio exhibit was featured as part of the event!

Check out all of the blog posts related to Colegio César Chávez and see below for event photos!

After attending the Colegio César Chávez 50th Celebration and Commemoration event in August, Chemeketa Community College requested a copy of the Colegio César Chávez exhibit to tour across its various campus locations, and we are delighted to announce the exhibit is now on tour!

Colegio César Chávez Exhibit ~ Chemeketa Community College Tour Dates and Locations:

• November 20th-December 28th ~ Salem Campus
• January 3rd-February 9th ~ Woodburn Center
• February 12th-March 22nd ~ Yamhill Valley Campus
• March 22nd-April 1st ~ Salem Campus – César Chávez Day Celebration
• April 2nd-May 17th ~ Polk Center
• May 17th-June 30th ~ CCRLS (Chemeketa Community Regional Library Service) Partner Library-Newberg Public Library

Additionally, there has been interest from Blue Mountain Community College in displaying the exhibit in the summer or fall of next year.

On Monday, November 20th, the Salem Campus held an informal exhibit opening; about a dozen people attended and received a tour and Q&A of the exhibit. The exhibit begins in the library (building 9) of the Chemeketa Community College ~ Salem Campus with the history exhibit panels located throughout the second floor’s skybridge. The calendar and timeline panels are grouped on the main floor by the stairs leading up to the library.

Salem Campus Exhibit Photos

The history exhibit panels are located throughout the second floor’s skybridge…

The SCARC 2023-2024 exhibit is Colegio César Chávez: The Legacy Lives On / El legado sigue vivo!

The OSU Special Collections and Archives Research Center’s Oregon Multicultural Archives (OMA) served as a project partner and event planning committee member for the Colegio César Chávez 50th Anniversary Celebration which took place on August 26, 2023.

For more information about the event, see the blog post: Colegio César Chávez 50th Anniversary Celebration

The exhibition curated for the event is now available to the public!

• When: The 2023-2024 academic year (September 2023 – summer 2024)
• Where: The Valley Library 5th Floor SCARC Exhibit Cases (open during SCARC’s open hours: 10am-4pm M-F) and the SCARC 5th Floor Alcove Exhibit Space, across the hallway from the reading room (open whenever the library is open)
• What: The exhibit in the cases showcases the Colegio’s history and the exhibit in the alcove showcases a Chicano history timeline and artwork from a 1979 Colegio calendar

Digital Copies of the Exhibit Panels are Available via Oregon Digital

Photos of the Exhibit!

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PODER’s Hispanic Heritage Month Breakfast & Latino Leadership Summit

On Friday, September 15, 2023, the Colegio exhibit was featured as part of the Latino Leadership Summit in Salem, OR. Members of the Colegio were recognized and honored as part of the morning program. Dozens of the attendees had the opportunity to view the exhibit and learn about this important part of Oregon’s history!