There was a celebration at San Jose City College Monday as they honored the life and work of labor leader Cesar Chavez. They also honored the farmworker movement Chavez helped create and lead.

As part of Monday’s celebration, they highlighted the artist who recently completed a giant mural of the civil rights leader — on the side of the Cesar Chavez Library on campus.

“It made me realize how little we really sacrifice and how much he was willing to do for other people to be heard and listened to,” said muralist Carlos Rodriguez.

Rodriguez said that he worked 12 hours a day over nearly three months to finish. He added the mural showcases people who died in the movement for farmworkers rights and the farmworkers themselves.

“The roses and the cactus serve as almost like a Mexican American family tree. And every rose represents one of Cesar and Helen Chavez’s children. The middle scene is very important because he fasted for 36 days to end violence in the movement,” he said.

Xiomara Martinez of the Si Se Puede program at San Jose City College organized the event.

“Cesar Chavez has a lot of connections here in San Jose. He spoke here on our campus and there’s a lot of staff here that still remember that,” she said.

The college is also developing an online interactive experience to allow people learn more about Chavez’s history, via their phone, when viewing the mural.

The goal is to ensure future generations understand the legacy of a man who changed the lives of so many.

“Although we think it was so long ago, it was actually not that long ago. It’s really important to keep our new generation learning and knowing what the fight was for,” Martinez said.