Farmworkers and Latinos in the United States, especially Chicanos, have a new icon in the White House: a sculpture of activist César Chávez prominently displayed in the Oval Office.
The bust of the Mexican-American fighter for union and worker rights is part of the new decoration of the presidential office,
amid the family photographs of the president
, Joe Biden, and behind the desk where this Wednesday he signed his first executive orders that They include supporting DACA recipients and canceling the construction of more border wall with Mexico.
At that same desk, under the gaze of Chávez, Biden will sign this Thursday new measures to combat COVID-19, the new coronavirus that has been especially devastating for Latinos and farm workers like those that Chávez defended.
"Putting the bust of my father [...] is not only something that honors him; the most important thing is that it represents faith and empowerment for all the people for whom he fought and sacrificed," said Paul Chavez, activist's son, to NBC News.
The bust of César Chávez was originally in California, at the headquarters of the César E. Chávez National Monument.
Joe Biden's team requested it from the activist's family.
Julie Rodríguez Chávez, the granddaughter of the late activist, is also part of the new cabinet, as director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.
"It is an honor and
a tribute to the community
" that his grandfather's bust is placed in the office, he said.
But that statue is not the only change in the decoration of the office after the departure of Donald Trump: Biden also incorporated busts of
other important figures in American history.
[The granddaughter of activist César Chávez talks about her grandfather's influence for his new role in the White House]
There is one of Eleanor Roosevelt, the former first lady who pushed for the United States to join the UN and helped draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
and a sculpture of a horse by Chiricahua Apache artist Allan Houser.
The busts of Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks inside the Oval Office occupied by Joe Biden.AP
They look at the desk of new President Rosa Parks, especially known for having promoted a boycott of buses that forced black people to sit in the back;
and Martin Luther King Jr., the reverend icon of the civil rights movement and for the full recognition of the rights of non-white people.
King's bust was originally brought into the Oval Office by Barack Obama.
Also in Biden's office is a statue of Robert Kennedy, the former attorney general who was assassinated shortly after his brother, former President John F. Kennedy, and who during his tenure worked to reduce racial and ethnic inequalities, and against the organized crime.
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Biden will also be surrounded by
portraits of prominent ancestors
:
the first American president, George Washington;
and Franklin D. Roosevelt, who led the country through various crises and promoted support to families affected by the Great Depression.
Above the fireplace in Joe Biden's Oval Office hang portraits of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln (left side), Franklin D. Roosevelt (center), and Alexander Hamilton along with Thomas Jefferson (right) .AP /
Above the fireplace are portraits of founding fathers Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, politicians who were constantly at odds.
According to people in the new government, the intention is to have a constant reminder that "
differences of opinion, expressed within the standards of a republic, are key to democracy."
Trump had in his office a portrait that was already inside the office of Abraham Lincoln, the president who abolished slavery, and added that of Andrew Jackson, a controversial former president for being a slave owner and signing a law that resulted in the death of thousands of indigenous people .
Biden was left with only the
portrait of Lincoln.
Trump at a meeting with Mike Pence and Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer in December 2018. In the Oval Office there was a white-hued rug and above the fireplace were portraits of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Alexander Hamilton. Reuters /
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In the office there is also a portrait of the founding father, inventor, diplomat and writer of the Declaration of Independence Benjamin Franklin, to remember the power to
incorporate and heed science in politics
, according to Biden's advisers.
Franklin's image is found near a moon rock, a testament to the accomplishments of past generations.
Benjamin Franklin's portrait, a bust of former President Harry Truman, a statue of a Native American artist, and a moon rock are all part of Joe Biden's Oval Office.
Another noticeable change in contrast to the decoration is
the carpet
: Trump asked for a white hue that belonged to Ronald Reagan, while Biden chose a blue similar to that used by Bill Clinton.
Two elements of Trump's design do remain in Biden's redesigned office: the gold curtains, originally installed by Clinton;
and the
Resolute
desk
, which was a gift from British Queen Victoria in 1880 to President Rutherford Hayes.
Sculpted from fragments of the Arctic exploration vessel
Resolute
, it has been used by all presidents since Kennedy, with the exception of George HW Bush in the 1980s (he kept it inside his office, but used another desk).
The Oval Office of the White House was redecorated for the arrival of Joe Biden, president since January 20, 2021.AP /
With information from NBC News, The Washington Post and the White House Museum