SAN ANTONIO – During a small private ceremony, U.S Marshal Robert Almonte, who represents the Western District of Texas, praised the work of community activist and labor leader, Jaime Martinez.
Martinez has taken the lead in organizing marches across the nation, including the annual Cesar Chavez March for Justice in San Antonio.
“I have been an activist in many protests,” Martinez said during the ceremony at the U.S. Courthouse Thursday. “But all were non-violent.”
And that philosophy is the thread that has woven the two men together.
“There are, unfortunately, a lot of protests that are violent,” Almonte said. “And that is one reason why we are honoring Mr. Martinez, because everything he is doing, his message is still being put out there in a non-violent manner.”
A lesson, Martinez said, taught him by his mentor Cesar Chavez.
“If we’re going to win any fights, like Cesar told us, we have to be non-violent and we have to unite the families in our community for la causa,” Martinez said.
The next Cesar Chavez March for Justice will be held this Saturday on San Antonio’s West Side and travel into the downtown area. This is the 20th anniversary of the Chavez march.