March 31. 2008. marked the 81st birthday of the late Cesar Chavez. a national hero who devoted his life to fighting for civil rights for all Americans. Today. I join the millions of Americans who will honor this migrant farmworker. labor organizer. and champion of social justice for his many contributions. Cesar Chavez was a civil rights and human rights leader who learned about the importance of justice early in his life. After graduating from the eighth grade. a young Cesar Chavez went to work in the fields as a migrant farmworker to support his family. In 1962. Chavez and Dolores Huerta founded the National Farm Workers Association. later to become the United Farm Workers.