Hispanics honor own 'Chavezes'

Hispanic Heritage Month will come to a festive end Friday at the Coalition of La Raza's 12th annual Cesar Chavez awards ceremony.

"This is one of the long traditions in our community — to honor some of our most outstanding members who have made contributions to the community," said Tony Yapias, director of the Utah Office of Hispanic Affairs. "Given the work that Cesar Chavez did, especially when he visited Utah, he is a model, an icon that many of us look to emulate. More importantly, we want to look within our own community. We want to recognize our own Cesar Chavezes."

The 12th annual Cesar Chavez awards banquet will be held from 7 until 9 p.m. Friday at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center, 1344 W. 3100 South.

Mickey Ibarra, a former Utahn who served as White House director of intergovernmental affairs under the Clinton administration, will be the keynote speaker at Friday's gathering, according to Robert Rendon, chairman of the Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. In addition, five Utahns will be honored for their service to the community.

"Cesar Chavez is to the Hispanic community what Martin Luther King is to our African-American community," Rendon said. "Cesar was a former worker himself and made a stand in the fields of California to fight for a better life for all farm workers. In carrying out his mission he developed and lived a unique blend of values, philosophy and styles, including dedication to nonviolence, voluntarism, public action 'Si Se Puede' egalitarianism, education of the heart, solidarity/unity, respect for all cultures, religions and lifestyles. . . . This event celebrates his values and the importance of his work."

Past recipients of the coalition's Cesar Chavez award include Robert "Archie" Archuleta, former administrator for minority affairs for the Salt Lake City Mayor's Office, the late Utah Sen. Pete Suazo and Sam Guevara, chief of staff for Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson.

Earlier this month, the Hispanic Yellow Pages of Utah named its business and business person of the year, honoring both as role models for the state's largest minority community.

Deportes Los Jarochos, a sporting goods store in Salt Lake City, was named business of the year. Co-owners Cesar Morales and Mirna Morales launched the business in 1996 to promote soccer in the Hispanic community in Utah, according to their nomination application, and to support efforts to keep young people away from drugs.