‘Birthday party’ to honor hero, Huerta

Dolores Huerta

A “Migrant Justice Benefit & Birthday Party to honor Dolores Huerta: An Awareness & Fundraising Fiesta,” sponsored by the Saint Michael’s College Spanish Club and Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Literature, will be Wednesday, April 10 at 7 p.m. in the Dion Family Student Center Roy Room.

Dolores Huerta, who on April 10 will be 89, is an American labor leader and civil rights activist. With Cesar Chavez she is a co-founder of the National Farmworkers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers (UFW). Huerta helped organize the Delano grape strike in 1965 in California and was the lead negotiator in the workers’ contract that was created after the strike.

Event organizer Sherry Pachman, Saint Michael’s Spanish instructor, said the purpose of this event is to “celebrate and gain inspiration from Dolores Huerta’s lifetime of social, political and environmental activism and effecting positive change, and to learn about Migrant Justice.”  All proceeds benefit Migrant Justice, a Burlington-based organization whose community organizing work aligns in many ways with that of Dolores Huerta. Website: https://migrantjustice.net/

A centerpiece of the evening will be a screening of the award-winning documentary Dolores. Specially-themed birthday treats will be served, and the event also will have “a unique piñata and other attractions and surprises,” said Pachman.

Off-campus community members are welcome, and can find ample parking in College’s main entrance lot by the Ross Sports Center, across from the Fire & Rescue station.

The event’s fundraising goal is $890 (to honor Huerta’s 89^th birthday), with a sliding scale suggested donation: Kids $1: Students $5; other individuals or groups/teams $10 to $89! “The campus community and the public are warmly invited regardless of ability to donate,” says Pachman.

Information: Spanish instructor Sherry Pachman: spachman@smcvt.edu