Jacob Reyna from San Juan, winner ages 6-9. Click the picture to see all of the winning pieces.

Congratulations to the four up-and-coming artists who won in this year’s Life and Legacy of Cesar Chavez – The Art of Social Justice Art Contest!

Jacob Reyna from San Juan, age 7, submitted a drawing representing how the strikes and boycotts won union contracts for the workers. Jynel Ramos from McAllen won in the middle age group and drew about the grape boycott targeting Gallo Wines. And from our oldest category we had so much talent that we picked two winners. Jesus Saenz from Donna drew a beautifully shaded sketch representing Cesar and the grape boycott, declaring that Cesar’s legacy will live on forever. And Samantha Trujillo from Alamo composed a collage portrait of Cesar, each section using different materials, and bordered with the statement, “Your legacy continues to flourish in our hearts from generation to generation.” Both winners demonstrated artistic talent and originality as well as a powerful message.

The message behind Samantha’s piece couldn’t be truer: she is the third generation in a family of union members and supporters that continues to be active in the union. Her grandmother, Maria Gomez, was an early member of the union and later worked as an organizer for many years. Samantha and her brother and sisters continue Cesar’s legacy by volunteering with their grandmother regularly at union events. Samantha is also developing her talents as a photographer. Check out her pictures from the Cesar Chavez March here.

Congratulations to all of our wonderfully talented youth and especially the winners of this year’s competition! Click here to see all of their beautiful work.