and deportation. Supporters of the Employee Free Choice Act asked for all marchers to sign a petition to improve workers’ rights.

The traditional march trailed through the streets of west Denver to Sam Sandos Hall in Westwood on south Lowell Blvd., with participants holding placards high for all to see with various statements -- No somos criminales. Somos trajabadores internacionales, ¡Viva César Chávez! and the famous farmworker movement slogan ¡Si Se Puede!.

The 2009 César Chávez Peace and Justice award winners included longtime humanitarian Pauline López and Denver’s nationally acclaimed musical group, the Flobots, marched alongside everyone to show their backing for positive changes in immigration reform.

As marchers reached their destination they were greeted with food and refreshments, entertainment by local artists Nick Vigil and the Gr8 Kiva Band, poets and community speakers.

The César Chávez Peace and Justice Committee also circulated a petition

to enact a national César Chávez holiday, joining a country-wide drive to garner necessary support for the initiative.

This year’s keynote speaker, Anthony Vigil – a Flores Magón Academy educator and poet -- spoke eloquently and emphasized the importance for not only immigrants, but all Latinos to put education in focus and “allow our children to rise up.”

Mr. Vigil asked, “How can you tell the people who are responsible for the calculating of stones from Teotihuacan and Chichen Itza [Mayan pyramids] that you can’t do math.

“We need to say ya basta, and we need to say si se puede, just like César Chávez did and we need to say [to those holding us down] that we are not immigrants and we do not need immigration reform -- we need to reform how people think about immigration.”

Mr. Vigil’s inspirational speech ...