Cesar ChavezAgent for Social Justice

March 31, 1927 – April 23, 1993

Formative Years• Born March 31, 1927 on family farm in Yuma, Arizona

• Family values: help others, work hard, education, respect, and faith in God

• Became migrant workers in California after loss of family farm to back taxes

• Punished for speaking Spanish at school

• Quit school to work in the fields

• Migrant worker living conditions were less than substandard

• Joined the Navy ~ first act of civil disobedience in movie theater

Cesar - Community Service & Organizing

• First job – trained to organize under Fred Ross, Community Service Organization

• Registered Latinos to vote, become U.S. citizens, addressed police brutality and improved barrio conditions

• After ten years with CSO, started National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) in 1962

Cesar – Social Activist Timeline• 1962 – 1965 - organized migrant farm workers &

build membership

• 1965 – NFWA joined strike against grape growers by the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC), known as the “Delano Grape Strike”

• 1966 – walk 340 miles from Delano, CA to the state Capitol

~ drew attention to the plight of farm workers~ resulted in the first binding contract

between growers and farm workers

• 1966 – Boycott of grape growers~ election of farm workers~ NFWA members voted to merge with

Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee~ United Farm Workers Union (UFW) formed

• 1967-1970 – Delano Grape Strike expands to other farm products ~ Strike became “La Causa”

~ Millions of Americans supported La Causa~ Cesar fasted to dedicate La Causa to nonviolence~1970 – Spring and summer, California grape growers forced to sign union contract~ Cesar ordered to stop boycott – jailed for noncompliance

• 1972 – National Farm Workers becomes an affiliate of AFLCIO

• 1973 – 1975 – Teamsters union brought in by growers ~ Cesar lead a three month strike ~ Estimated 17 million Americans boycott farm goods

• 1975 – California law guaranteed farm workers right to organize and bargain

The Fight Continues to Death• 1979 – Ten month strike for better wages and benefits

~ One striker killed~ Cesar won demand for pay raise and better benefits

• 1983 – 1990 – California Governor shut down enforcement of farm labor laws

~ 1986 – Cesar started the “Grapes of Wrath” campaign~ 1988 - Cesar fasted for thirty-six days for children

affected by pesticides~ 1992 – Farm workers won first union pay raise in eight

years

• 1993 – Cesar Chavez died while sleeping on April 23

Cesar signs union contract

Cesar marching with supporters

1972 demonstration march

Mourners at Cesar’s funeral

Prayer of the Farm Workers’ StruggleWritten by César E. Chávez

Show me the suffering of the most miserable;So I will know my people’s plight.

Free me to pray for others;For you are present in every person.

Help me take responsibility for my own life;So that I can be free at last.

Grant me courage to serve others;For in service there is true life.Give me honesty and patience:

So that I can work with other workersBring forth song and celebration.

So that the Spirit will be alive among us.Let the Spirit flourish and grow;

So that we will never tire of the struggle.Let us remember those who have died for justice;

For they have given us life.Help us love even those who hate us;

So we can change the world.Amen.