César Chávez occupies a special place in Joe Biden's office

A bust of labor and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez is surrounded by photos of President Joe Biden in a newly decorated Oval Office.

(CNN) -

The decor in the Oval Office changed rapidly after President Joe Biden's inauguration on Wednesday.

Walls with figures like Andrew Jackson were replaced by portraits of the Founding Fathers and busts of civil rights leaders Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr.

Among the new exhibits near a collection of personal photos is something: a bust of Mexican-American and agricultural labor leader César Chávez.

“It really speaks to the contributions and importance of our community's work.

Immigrants have given and continue to give to this country, even in the most difficult moments, ”Paul Chávez, his son and president and president of the Cesar Chávez Foundation, told CNN in an interview.

César Chávez drew public attention in the 1960s and 1970s to the plight of Latino immigrants and workers who harvest crops in the United States.

His advocacy led farm workers to get fairer wages, lunch breaks, and access to restrooms and clean water at work.

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Born in 1927, Chávez joined the Navy as a teenager, serving two years before becoming an activist and community organizer.

In 1962, Chávez founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later merged to become the United Farm Workers union.

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Chávez and his association joined Filipino American farm workers in the 1965 Delano grape strike, protesting poor pay and treatment of employees.

In 1968, Chávez went on a hunger strike for more than two weeks, culminating in a meeting with Senator Robert F. Kennedy, who had been horrified by the working conditions he witnessed and vowed to support Chávez and its cause.

The efforts of the labor groups were ultimately victorious.

A lifelong defender of workers' rights, Chávez died in 1993. The following year he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

President Barack Obama honored Chávez during his administration by declaring the anniversary of his birth, March 31, as César Chávez Day.

The rallying cry of the Chávez movement was "Yes we can!"

- and its translation, "Yes We Can!"

became the slogan of the Obama-Biden campaign en route to winning the 2008 presidential election.

'We hope this is the beginning of a new day'

Paul Chávez continues today the work proposed by his father, helping those new to the United States, as well as the families and descendants who have lived in the country for decades.

His foundation focuses on affordable housing, educational programs, community service, and worker rights throughout the Southwest.

The foundation has a series of radio stations that are broadcast in English and Spanish.

Information from medical experts and local leaders on how to combat the covid-19 pandemic and register for vaccines is a regular feature, as is the importance of the Black Lives Matter movement.

"We made sure our listeners understood that the plight of African Americans is the plight of the Latino community," Chávez told CNN.

"Although we may come from different origins, we share the same situation and we share the same dreams."

Chávez noted the toxicity of the previous government towards Latinos and immigrants, saying: "The last four years have heard so much derogatory things about our community, they would believe that we all came here yesterday and that we are here doing things that we should not be doing.

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He highlighted the community's long-standing patriotism, answering calls to service and job jobs that are often not filled by other Americans.

"Many times, we are treated as second-class citizens," he added, "so what we do is remind people of the contributions and importance that our community and immigrants bring to improving this society."

Now, with a bust of César Chávez featured behind the Resolute Desk, his son hopes that efforts like immigration reform will stay at the forefront of the new administration's goals.

"We're glad the bust is there," Paul said, focusing less on the direct honor bestowed on his father and instead on what it could mean for "a people my father spent his entire life supporting and empowering."

"It represents the hopes and aspirations of an entire community that has been demonized and despised, and we hope this is the beginning of a new day, a new dawn in which the contributions of all Americans can be appreciated and valued."

CNN's John King, Cindy Y. Rodríguez, and Nicole Chavez contributed to this report.

Cesar Chavez