Ferriss, Susan, Ricardo Sandoval, and Diana Hembree. The Fight in the Fields: Cesar Chavez and the Farmworkers Movement. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1997. Print.
In 1938, the Chavez family lost their farm due to the Great Depression. They were forced to relocate to California and become migrant workers. Chavez was distressed by the poor treatment that migrant farmworkers endured on a daily basis. His powerful religious convictions, dedication to change, and a skill at non violent organizing cultivated the establishment of the United Farmworkers (UFW). It was also referred to as “La Causa” by supporters and eventually became a vital movement for self-determination in the lives of California's farmworkers. The astounding nationwide lettuce and grape boycotts along with public support revealed the atrocities of California agribusiness and resulted in the first union hiring halls and collective bargaining for migrant workers. The details of the childhood of Cesar Chavez and how they would later shape his actions are a vital aspect of this book and the establishment of the farm workers movement.
"The Story of Cesar Chavez." UFW: The Official Web Page of the United Farm Workers of America. N.p., 2006. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.
The United Farm Workers’ short biography of Cesar Chavez thoroughly details his entire life. Starting from his childhood in Arizona and California, the author(s) depict a very racist environment within both the classroom and the fields that Chavez grew up in. The recognition of the oppression of Mexican Americans and other minorities helped to create Chavez’s determined mindset as he grew older. In 1962, Chavez founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers (UFW). ...
... middle of paper ...
...is a brief account, it provides a series of vivid images of marches, fasting and perseverance against exploitation, racism and what may be perceived as economic terrorism from the wealthy growers. Cesar Chavez’s strong principles and convictions can be traced by to his grandmother who provided him with a powerful moral and religious upbringing and household. These are the values and ideas that Chavez would carry into his many actions against injustice. Despite many obstacles and conflicts, the movement, known as “La Causa” managed to survive and win great victories for migrant workers and provide a sense of hope and self determination for Latino Americans everywhere in the country. The quotes from Cesar Chavez that linger throughout the text help to create a very real, life-like perception of him and his aspirations during the height of the movement.
was very independent and has always done things he wanted, as he was entrusted with the
3. Dolores Huerta was the main negotiator during the Delano grape strike. In 1965 Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez were approached by Filipino members of the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee ("AWOC"). AWOC wanted higher wages from the Delano are grape growers. AWOC wanted to negotiate new contracts with their employers but they needed the help of Huerta and Chavez. The NFWA was still new and growing although Huerta thought that NFWA was not ready to attack corporate America she could not refuse to help AWOC. The two unions formed into one union called United Farm Workers union. Under this the union Dolores began the battle with the Delano grape growers. Dolores organized over 5,000 workers to walk off their job and to strike until they could reach an agreement with their employers.
When Chavez became a full time worker, he was exposed to the hardships of a farm workers life. This sprang his dream of helping other farm laborers that were like him. On his birthday, March 31st 1962 he founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became known as the United Farm Workers of America. It started off with 10 people in the group, him, his wife, and his eight children but soon he started ...
After having read and watched the video about Cesar Chavez’s union, I gained an understanding about his long struggle to gain rights for field workers. But after having attended the event “What I learned about Cesar Chavez” I even gained a better understanding about how Cesar Chavez accomplished what he did. Throughout Grossman's lecture I was able to form several connections to what I learned from the book. Grossman spoke about Cesar Chavez’s determination and ability to inspire others. These characteristics inspired me to fight for what I believe in.
Since 1962, Chavez created and maintained a union for farm workers called the United Farm Workers of America. He went through many hard times and had to make very hard decisions but nothing stopped him from giving up on his dreams to help other people. In Document A, Dick Meister talks about how he saw the UFW through his point of view, a highly skeptical reporter from San Francisco. He says ...
Chávez’s leadership was based on an unshakable commitment to nonviolence, personal sacrifice and a strict work ethic. He emphasized the necessity of adhering to nonviolence, even when faced with violence from employers and growers, because he knew if the strikers used violence to further their goals, the growers and police would not hesitate to respond with even greater vehemence. Despite his commitment to nonviolence, many of the movement’s ‘enemies’, so to speak, made efforts to paint the mo...
Even though, this is a fictional book, it tells a true story about the struggle of the farm worker to obtain a better life for themselves and their families. There are two main themes in this book, non-violence, and the fight for dignity. Cesar Chavez was a non-violent man who would do anything to not get in a fight while they where boycotting the growers. One, incident in the story was when a grower pulled out a gun, and he pointed it at the strikers, Chavez said, “He has a harder decision to make, we are just standing here in peace…” The picketer were beaten and put in jail before they would fight back and that is what why all farm workers look up to Cesar Chavez , along with his good friend Martin Luther King Jr. Non-Violence is the only way to solve anything. The growers in that time did not care about their workers, if people were striking, the growers would go to Mexico and bring in Braceros, mean that they would not have to sign the union contract and not take union workers, who were willing to work if the grower would sign the contract.
Two major issues the RCAF took interest in was the UFWA and Cesar Chavez; when the RCAF took involvement in these social issues, Villa and Montoya joined up with their students and other activist to produce posters, murals, and poetry reading for their cause. They advocated Cesar Chavez’s meetings and became the poster makers for the United Farm Workers Union (UFWA). The UFWA was an American labor union representing federal government employees which existed from 1937 to 1946. For many years farm workers had been exploited and denied decent living conditions. Farm workers began to realize they could change demand better wages and working conditions. The Mexican American community began to realize they could make a difference by even doing the smallest tasks just as the RCAF used their skills to make posters. As poster makers for the United Farm Workers Union and Cesar Chavez, they created a vast collection of silkscreen posters which they used to bring attention to such an important issue in the Latino
The Fight in the Fields: Cesar Chavez and the Farmworkers Movement. Hartcourt-Brace La Botz, Dan (2005). "The Species of the World." César Chávez and La Causa. Pearson Longman Moyer, John (1970).
One of many reasons that Cesar Chavez fought for equality was “Because farm workers were often unseen or ignored, he would make them visible—to place them in the public’s attention and keep them there” . He already knew how life was when he was a farm worker, so he knew he had to do anything to get the publics attention. When he had that he would again do his best to keep them there. This was one fight that he didn’t want to lose, since he understood how hard it is being a farm worker.
Chavez Ravine was a self-sufficient and tight-knit community, a rare example of small town life within a large urban metropolis, but no matter how much the inhabitants loved thei...
Farm Labor Organization, 1905-1967. New York : NACLD, 1967. Edid, Maralyn. Farm Labor Organizing: Trends and Prospects. Ithaca, NY: Industrial & Labor Relations Press, Cornell University, 1994.
Many of the farmers are mexican immigrants that are only trying to support their families. WNYC news published an article titled “Immigrant Farm Workers, the Hidden Part of New York’s Local Food Movement” that said, “ The reality of agriculture is that a hefty percentage of the people who plant and harvest New York’s local food are immigrant workers, many of whom put themselves in danger to cross the border into the United States to work the land.” though they come here they are not treated as well as they expected. One of the workers Antonio Valeriano that works at a farm in hudson valley originally from oaxaca said he has to be at work at 6 A.M to 8 at night or even to 10 P.M. Valeriano another worker said, “the work is hard, ‘and we almost never rest,’” though they have a
The use of hard labor for cheap pay is a very common practice these workers are exposed to. While working in the agricultural fields the workers are left completely out of social benefits. For instance, warm housing, job security, food and unsanitary conditions. Every farm worker has social disadvantages. Considering this, the life of migrant farm worker is something not everyone can survive and does take a lot of sacrifice to overcome this. Many factors come into play that contribute to the exploitation of migrant farm workers. Both articles allows one to look and understand the culture and difficulties of a migrant farm
The farm which had once been the source of inspiration with a democratic society was now a farm of death, destruction and communism. This is the impact of social injustice on what was once a just community in a revolutionary society.