Deadline: March 11th
By Juliet V. Casey Geary, Director of Marketing & Media Design, Los Medanos College
We are pleased to announce the call for nominations for the 2026 César Chávez Awards is open. The awards celebrate the life of labor leader and human rights activist César Chávez and recognize East Contra Costa County community members who follow his example of service, activism and non-violent social change.
Nomination form and event details are available on the event web page. Nomination deadline is Wednesday, March 11.
See our call-to-action video.
Save the date for the awards ceremony, which this year will be held at 6 p.m. on Friday, April 3 in the Student Union at the LMC Pittsburg Campus, 2700 E. Leland Road. The event is free and open to the public, though space is limited.
Values of César Chávez:
- Service to Others: Empowering individuals by engendering self-determination, self-sufficiency and self-help, rather than charity.
- Sacrifice: Recognizing the obligation every individual has to contribute to their community, despite having to endure great hardship.
- Help the Most Needy: Supporting efforts to reach those in need, those dispossessed, and those most forgotten individuals.
- Determination: Instilling an attitude that through steadfast commitment, patience, and optimism, people can overcome great adversity.
- Non-violence: Achieving social and economic justice and equality through bold and courageous action.
- Tolerance: Promoting and supporting ethnic and cultural diversity as a means toward informing and strengthening communities.
- Respect for Life: Holding land, people, and all other forms of life in the highest regard.
- Celebrating Community: Sharing expressions of cultural identity through art, song and dance.
- Knowledge: Pursuing self-directed learning, the development of critical thinking, and constructive problem-solving.
- Innovation: Creating strategies and tactics to resolve problems and situations that often seem insurmountable.
Awards recognize recipients in the following categories:
César Chávez Award for Exemplary Community Service
The César Chávez Award for Exemplary Community Service recognizes a local resident who demonstrates a long-standing commitment to service and who best represents the core values modeled by César Chávez: Service to Others, Sacrifice, Help the Most Needy, Determination, Non-Violence, Acceptance of All People, Respect for Life and the Environment, Celebrating Community, Knowledge and Innovation.
East County Educator Award
The César Chávez East County Educator Award recognizes a member of the educational community who demonstrates the qualities of César Chávez and a commitment to student success and equity, particularly for students of color and those from low-income families.
Chávez Spirit Award
The César Chávez Spirit Award recognizes an emerging student leader who embodies the spirit of César Chávez and who within the past year affected change in the areas of advocacy and social justice.
About Los Medanos College (LMC): LMC is one of three colleges in the Contra Costa Community College District, serving the East Contra Costa County community. Established in 1974, LMC has earned federal designations as a Minority-Serving and Hispanic-Serving institution. It offers award-winning transfer and career-technical programs support services, and diverse academic opportunities in an inclusive learning environment. With exceptional educators, innovative curriculum, growing degree and certificate offerings, and state-of-the-art facilities, the college prepares students to succeed in their educational pursuits, in the workforce, and beyond. LMC’s Pittsburg Campus is located on 120 acres bordering Antioch, with an additional education center in Brentwood.
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