Mariachi music echoed from Malcolm X Plaza Wednesday, as students celebrated the life and achievements of California labor activist Cesar Chavez.

Both SF State and the city of San Francisco honor Chavez and his life’s work as a champion of migrant laborers and a leader of the United Farm Workers.

This Sunday, a parade honoring Chavez will march down Market Street to the Civic Center in downtown San Francisco. All of the California State University campuses recognize Chavez’s birthday, March 31 by closing offices and not holding classes.

Shortly after Chavez’ death in 1993, the student center’s name was changed to honor Chavez, according to Mary Keller, assistant director of programs and services.

“There are many other leaders that aren’t recognized but he stood out,” said 22-year-old theater major Cindy Morales. “He fought for workers rights and started the union he made a difference.”

The walls of the student center are adorned with colorful faces and murals depicting Chavez and Malcolm X. Kenn Burrows, a professor of health education, said the murals that students pass by daily are there for a reason, especially now when violence and war are solutions for everything from poverty to peace.

“Chavez represented a nonviolent refusal to cooperate with injustices,” said Burrows. “It was not about turning the other cheek it was about the truth.

“He taught us we need to struggle together instead of against each other. I think it’s great we’re celebrating his life.”

The Chavez holiday is celebrated in California, Texas and the city of Denver, but it is not a national holiday. It is an optional holiday in Arizona and the rest of the state of Colorado. It is the first official holiday for a Mexican American and the first United States holiday for a labor leader.

Chavez was born in Yuma, Arizona and grew up in migrant labor camps after his parents lost their farm in the Great Depression. He never owned a house and ended his formal education in the eighth grade. Forty thousand people marched behind his coffin at his funeral.

A U.S. Navy veteran, Chavez worked on civil rights for Latinos before forming the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the UFW, in 1962. He led several boycotts to improve working conditions and wages for farm laborers.

“It’s important to celebrate his memory and what he did with his life,” said Karen Uyenco, who works in the student center. “The campus is politically charged and has a rich history. Chavez is a good example of what the history of this campus represents.”

Black eagles on red flags represent the United Farm Workers inside the SF State chapter of , who supported efforts that made Chavez’s birthday a state holiday.

“I know farm workers who are still being exploited it’s important, man to just to remind everyone that there are still people working in horrible conditions out in the fields. This day reminds everyone what he did,” said Noel Flores, 23, business major and a member of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan, a student group. “It’s not just about (the holiday). It’s about the struggle.”