Modesto luncheon honors people inspired by Cesar Chavez

Some of the honorees at a Modesto luncheon Thursday had marched with Cesar Chavez. One of them used to wield a short-handled hoe, a dreaded tool that the farm labor movement worked to outlaw.

The Latino Community Roundtable of Stanislaus County honored five people at its 15th annual luncheon in honor of Chavez, who would have turned 89 on March 31.

One of them was Maggie Mejia, a longtime leader of the group, and her husband, Manuel. Also honored were the late David Rancano and his son, the late Juan Carlos Rancano, both of whom were attorneys.

And the sold-out crowd of about 400 feted Enedina Castro Perez, who moved from Mexico to Manteca in 1961 and went to work in the fields with her family.

“They picked various types of fruits and vegetables, and hoed the weeds with the short hoe, ‘el cortito,’ ” said master of ceremonies Ricardo Córdova, a superior court judge, reading from a short biography.

“They would work for endless hours,” he said, “under the strong hot sun, no breaks, and the water provided them would be too warm or too hot to drink.”

Perez and her husband, Basilio, were among the first people to join in the marches led by Chavez, who helped found the United Farm Workers. Its membership is much-reduced from its 1970s heyday, but it is still a voice on housing, health and other issues.

The luncheon took place at the Red Event Center on Eighth Street. It is called the Si Se Puede Empowerment Luncheon in honor of the union’s Spanish slogan, which means “Yes, we can.”

The Mejias met as students at Patterson High School, as they were making posters for a UFW rally, and have been married since 1971. They continue to volunteer for the union, including offering food and lodging for marchers.

The couple campaigned to get a west Modesto park named for Chavez in 2002. Maggie Mejia has recently urged local elected bodies to switch from at-large to district elections, which could increase minority representation.

David Rancano was born in Cuba, where one of his law school classmates was Fidel Castro, who went on to lead an armed revolt against the Baptista dictatorship. Rancano preferred a peaceful student movement and eventually left for Colombia and later Miami. He ended up in Modesto, where he practiced law and helped organize the Hispanic American Association.

Juan Carlos Rancano, also born in Cuba, followed his father into law.

“His special interest with the law firm was workers compensation, and many of his clients were campesinos, or farmworkers, that were injured in the field,” Cordova read.

The group also honored Franklin & Downs Funeral Home for co-sponsoring the luncheon from the start. And it heard a talk by California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, who also spoke Thursday at Modesto High School.

This story was originally published March 10, 2016 at 6:55 PM with the headline "Modesto luncheon honors people inspired by Cesar Chavez."