President Obama will speak at the dedication of a national monument to Cesar Chavez, co-founder of the United Farm Workers, Monday afternoon near Bakersfield, California. Before his remarks, the president laid a rose at the foot of Chavez’s gravesite with Helen F. Chavez, Chavez’s widow, according to a White House pool report.
Carrying a single red rose in full bloom, he walked onto the memorial site with four others, including Helen F. Chavez, Cesar Chavez’s wife, and his son Paul F. Chavez.
“Beautiful,” POTUS remarked. The memorial was drenched in sun on this cloudless day.
POTUS helped Mrs. Chavez, who walked with a cane, up a step and held her hand as they walked to the headstone. POTUS bent down and laid the rose. They stood there for a [few] moments. POTUS leaned down and chatted with Mrs. Chavez. The two of them then rejoined the others who stood o a path waiting nearby. The five of them chatted for a fw minutes. POTUS held Mrs. Chavez’s hand the whole time. He walked with her as they exited. Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers, put her arm around his other side. They were chatting as they walked. Pool couldn’t hear much.
