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This story is seemingly about César Chávez, Dolores Huerta, and an event in the Napa Valley. The event involved the unveiling of two statues commemorating the historic presence of these Chicana/o freedom fighters in the valley. Yet as Michel-Rolph Trouillot argues, in historical accounts, there is always a story within a story.1 This essay aims to examine the layered narratives that surrounded this event and the purposes served by this particular commemoration. It offers a broader critique of how historical commemorations can compartmentalize the past and constrict the present, and how selective celebration of a sanitized version of historical social justice struggles can protect and perpetuate injustice in the present.
On March 29, 2015, history and memory converged in downtown Napa. This day marked the unveiling of statues of César Chávez and Dolores Huerta to honor their participation in improving the working conditions in the fields for Napa's campesinos in the 1960s and 1970s. Simultaneously, these statues also served as a much-needed public reminder of the Mexican origin of the laboring hands that sustain the booming wine and tourist industry. This recognition, however, came not from the city but from a private citizen. Michael Holcomb, a developer who is married to a Mexican woman and identifies himself culturally as Mexican, wanted to give back to the community that he credits for giving him so much love.2 The statues were unveiled to music from mariachis and Jorge Santana (brother of Carlos Santana) and dancing from a local ballet folklórico group. Dolores Huerta was the keynote speaker while local Latinx leaders, including Napa County Supervisor Alfredo Pedroza, spoke about the significance of this historic event.
To plan the event, a committee of local Latinx leaders had formed in December 2014. I became aware of the committee while conducting interviews for my current research project on race relations pertaining to Mexican American wineries in Napa. In early January 2015, as I wrapped up an interview with Elba H. Gonzales-Mares, executive director of the Children's Health Initiative in the city of Napa and an active member in the Latinx community, she mentioned that a very wealthy man was donating money to have statues of Chávez and Huerta made. The statues were to be placed in one of his buildings...