Austin’s pattern of wet weekends held true again on Saturday, but the rain didn’t dampen the spirits of those celebrating Cesar Chavez and his life’s work. Grassroots activist Barbara Caudillo-Prince, who started an annual march in honor of the much-beloved labor leader four years ago, counted approximately 150 participants at Saturday’s event. “The struggle continues,” she said. “There’s a lot of gentrification here in East Austin, as far as people buying up houses, slowly running Hispanics out of our neighborhood.”
Unfortunately, Friday night’s gales of wind and rain washed away a mural-sized portrait of Chavez set to be unveiled on the tortilla factory walls across the street from Cafe Mundi, said Texas United Latino Artists‘ Joe Perez. But by the time the march concluded, the labor leader’s face was again smiling on the Eastside, as undeterred artists continued working on their creation. With Chavez’s portrait nearly finished, Perez pointed to another larger-than-life figure on the mural, Chicano blues musician Randy Garibay. Mentored by Doug Sahm, Garibay played in several bands before coming into his own. “The last CD he made before he died was titled Invisible Society, Perez said. “We’re saying exactly what he’s saying – we’re 40 percent of the population, and we’re invisible politically, socially, economically.”
To give credence to his cause, Randy’s wife, Virginia Schramm Garibay, and others created a Legacy Fund, where proceeds from his music go to drug, alcoholism, and homeless outreach services in poor neighborhoods. Among those there to support his music and cause were Austin’s Rep. Elliott Naishtat, a family friend and fan of Garibay’s “puro pinche blues.” “The arts community has been less prone to racial, ethical, sexual divisions than the rest of society,” said Perez, noting the humanities “historically, traditionally, have gotten everybody together.”
This article appears in “The AC” Gen Y Magazine Debuts.