Students in Milwaukee are honoring the late César Chávez, a civil rights activist and labor leader who fought for the equal rights of farm workers and others.
They’re competing in a contest that will culminate with the Eighth Annual César Chávez celebration, hosted by the Marcus Performing Arts Center in April.
The contest will feature categories including writing, speech and art to interpret this year’s theme of “knowledge,” which aligns with Chávez’s core principles.
The deadline for students to enter the contest is 5 p.m. Friday, March 20.
Students who are doing written or spoken entries must submit original work without AI, and all outside sources must be cited.
Winners of the contest will have their work showcased during a virtual celebration on April 9. Latino Art Strings Program, Ballet Folklórico Xanharati and Salsabrosa Dance Company will also perform as part of the event.
“At the arts center, we’re a gathering place for all and it is my role to ensure that Black, Brown, Asians and first families experience everything we have to offer,” said Anthony Smith, senior director of community partnerships at the Marcus Performing Arts Center.
His success organizing previous celebrations that honored Martin Luther King Jr. is what inspired him to also organize an event for Chávez.
“My committee consists of all Hispanic and Latino individuals so that everything we do for this César Chávez celebration is authentic,” he said.
Preparing the students for the competition
Smith said the students are very competitive during the César Chávez celebrations.
“What I found is some of them are repeat winners, some of their siblings participate, too … and some will also do crossover contests,” he said, meaning some compete in more than one category.
At the end of each school year, Smith typically sends a reminder to all MPS and suburban schools to mark the event on their calendars followed by a study guide, so teachers can create curricula based on Chávez.
“One of the things I really like about this is that it allows youth to get involved in understanding the value of these individuals,” Smith said. “I give a lot of credit to the educators, parents and guardians for events like these.”
Winners will receive a plaque with their name on it and a gift card to a healthy restaurant.
Running a smooth event
With the contest being virtual on YouTube, Smith creates a script for the show, with each segment set at a specific time.
Smith said the virtual contest works well because student winners and performers are pre-recorded from the studio of the event’s media sponsors, CBS 58 and Telemundo.
“They will host it from their studios, then everything is sent back to us and my marketing team will put together the YouTube video and it runs flawlessly,” Smith said.
For more information
The Eighth Annual César Chávez celebration will be at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 9 on YouTube.
