SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today urged California's teachers and their students to participate in classroom activities and other educational events that highlight Labor History Week, which was signed into law last year by Governor Gray Davis.

The law, AB 1900 authored by Assembly member George Nakano, declared the first week of April to be Labor History Week throughout the public schools. School districts are encouraged to commemorate this week with appropriate educational exercises that help students become aware of the role the labor movement has played in shaping California and the United States.

"As we prepare our students for tomorrow's workforce, we should take this opportunity to study and appreciate America's labor movement that helped to make our nation great," O'Connell said.

The Labor History Week begins Monday with the observance of a state holiday honoring Cesar Chavez, the legendary farm labor leader and United Farm Workers founder who taught non-violence, self sacrifice, and social justice. Chavez was born March 31, 1927 and died April 23, 1993.