Marshall G. Vega began the Cesar E. Chavez Drive Committee in November of 1995. Marshall wanted to name a street for a Hispanic American because there were no such streets in all of Wisconsin, and Cesar E. Chavez Drive was indeed the first in Wisconsin. Marshall wanted to name the street for Cesar because he was admired by people all over the world for standing up for the Migrant Farmworkers.
In August of 1996 the CEC Renaming committee appeared before the Common Council to lobby for S. 16th St. from Pierce to Mitchell Street to become S. Cesar E. Chavez Dr. Marshall then lobbied for S. 16th St. from Pierce to Windlake Avenue S. Cesar E. Chavez Dr. to avoid confusion by having the street go through the entire community.
Marshall G. Vega passed away on April 11th 1999 from renal cell kidney cancer but his vision for Chavez Dr. became a reality in March of this year when Cesar Chavez would have been 82.
No comments:
Post a Comment