Celebrate Cesar Chavez' Birthday Thursday in Santa Fe

From the NM Department of Health:
The Department of Health has been coordinating a series of Cultural Celebrations, focusing on different cultural groups and emphasizing the importance of understanding the ways that cultural beliefs influence health, health care access, and health care delivery. Each celebration has had its own special flavor appropriate to the culture that is celebrated. All, however, focus on health.

The upcoming celebration is for Hispano/a culture, focusing around the birthday of Cesar Chavez, his life’s work, and the impact of his work today. The celebration will be held on Thursday, March 30, 2006, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM in the Harold Runnels Building in Santa Fe.

We hope you will attend and encourage your colleagues, family, and friends to participate as well. We would like to see many community members, Department of Health and other agency staff, and elected officials participating in this celebration.

We will have speakers, cultural performances, educational booths, and artists displaying and selling their work.

The celebration will open with the DeVargas Middle School Mariachi band at 9:30 AM, and the program will begin at 10:00 AM

Speakers will cover the following topics (beginning at 10:00 AM):

(1) Cesar Chavez, his life and the impact of his work, then and now, (Sam Baca and Rick Nahmias)

(2) Environmental Health, particularly issues directly affecting the Hispana/o community

(3) Integrated Pest Management (Fabian Chavez),

(4) Latina health in rural areas (Elaine Montaño) (invited), and

(5) US/Mexico Border Health issues (Dan Reyna).

And the following entertainment:

(1) Mariachi band from De Vargas Junior High School (starting at 9:30 prior to the event)

(2) Spanish guitar and singing (Sam Baca and Fred Sandoval)

(3) Los Niños de Santa Fe y Compania

(4) Spanish Guitar and singing - Nacha Mendez (play at the end)

A feast of traditional foods, prepared by Department of Health staff and local restaurants will follow the activities. We are looking forward to an educational, entertaining, and exciting celebration, and we hope you and your colleagues, community members, contractors, family, and friends will be
able to join us.

If you have questions, please contact me, Doris Fields, in the Human Resources Bureau at (505) 827-0608.