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April 16, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Labor Leader, UFW Co-Founder Dolores Huerta
to Open Labor and Social Justice Fair at CSU Dominguez Hills

(Carson, CA) – United Farm Workers Union (UFW) founder and labor leader Dolores Huerta will open the inaugural May Day Celebration: Labor and Social Justice Fair and Regional Conference set for Thursday, April 30 from noon to 9 p.m. on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH)

Dolores Huerta came to notoriety during the grape boycotts of the late 1960s with Cesar Chavez, who co-founded with her what would become the UFW in 1962. The boycott would galvanize recognition of the farm workers’ movement. She has continued her advocacy and activism for workers rights, as well as women’s rights, to this day. She currently is the president of the social justice nonprofit Dolores Huerta Foundation, which works to ensure disadvantaged communities have fair and equal access to health care, education, and economic resources, and also serves on the boards of the Feminist Majority and People for the American Way.

CSU Dominguez Hills is the only institution in southern California offering a bachelor’s degree in labor studies. The Labor Studies Department, along with the Labor Studies Club, organized the first Labor and Social Justice Fair to highlight the program, and also to celebrate May Day, the internationally holiday recognizing the achievements of the labor movement, and commemorates the martyrs of the Haymarket Massacre, who fought for the eight-hour work day.

Under the fair and conference theme “Uniting for Social Justice,” union leaders, elected officials, immigrant rights advocates, and social justice agents from across the Southwestern United States, along with CSUDH students and professors, will converge on the Carson campus for a day of networking, dialogue, and showcasing the revitalized labor movement. The event is free and open to the public.

Huerta will give the opening keynote address at 12:15 p.m. Then throughout the day, activities will take place inside and outside of the Loker Student Union. Organizations will man an array of booths along the student union walkway with information on jobs, internships, and campaigns. There will also a student art exhibit on the significance of May Day on display during the fair, and the winners of a high school, college and labor/community essay competition will be announced. Free refreshments will be provided and there will be music and theater performances on an outdoor stage

Participants can also take part in workshops during the day on such topics as the Employee Free Choice Act, careers in labor, and cutting-edge organizing methods. Also included is an afternoon of dialogue on organizing and research with labor movement leaders and scholars hosted by the Southwest Labor Studies Association. The day will conclude with a buffet dinner at 6:30 p.m. and musical entertainment until 9 p.m.

Organizers of the Labor and Social Justice Fair invite the community at large to join them this day to celebrate the social and economic achievements of the labor movement throughout the United States and internationally.

A full and up-to-date list of sponsors is available on the event web site, http://dhlaborstudies.org.

For more information about the fair, visit the web site, or call the Labor Studies Department at (310) 243-3640, or email idspace@csudh.edu.

California State University, Dominguez Hill is located at 1000 E. Victoria Street in Carson. The Loker Student Union is at the center of campus. A map of the campus is available online at www.csudh.edu/site/VisitUs/campusmap.shtml.

Parking on campus costs $4 for a day pass and is payable at yellow kiosks located near each parking lot.

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About CSU Dominguez Hills -- California State University, Dominguez Hills is a highly diverse, urban university located in the South Bay, primarily serving the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The university prides itself on its outstanding faculty and friendly, student-centered environment. Known for excellence in teacher education, nursing, psychology, business administration, and digital media arts, new degree programs include computer science, criminal justice, recreation and leisure studies, social work, and communication disorders. On campus is the Home Depot Center, a multi-purpose sports complex that hosts world-class soccer, tennis, track and field, lacrosse, and cycling.

Media Contact:
Amy Bentley-Smith
(310) 243-2455
abentleysmith@csudh.edu

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