The Leadership of Cesar Chavez

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The Leadership of Cesar Chavez:

An Examination of His Leadership Style,

Accomplishments, and Contributions to Society

Cesario Estrada Chavez, or Cesar Chavez, as he is more commonly known, was an American farm worker, community organizer, and civil rights leader who co-founded the National United Farm Workers Association in 1962. His accomplishments as a leader have been chronicled in numerous literary works and have upheld him as one of the most recognized Mexican-American leaders of the last century. In this piece, I aim to analyze Cesar Chavez's leadership style by looking at his accomplishments as a leader, and explore some of his many enduring contributions to society. I will use Peter Northouse’s book, Introduction to Leadership, to help examine Cesar Chavez’s approach to leadership.

EARLY LIFE

It is crucial to have an awareness of the early beginnings of his life in order to understand Cesar Chavez’s development into becoming the celebrated leader he is known as today. One of the noteworthy aspects of his life is that he was not what some would consider a “natural-born” leader, meaning that he was not born into a family of great wealth or power. Chavez was born on March 31, 1927 near the town of Yuma, Arizona to a humble, hardworking Mexican immigrant family. His grandfather, Cesario Chavez, for whom he was named after, had worked hard to save enough money to be able to buy land in Arizona and raise his thirteen children, which included Cesar’s father. His father, Librado Chavez, grew up, got married, and opened up a couple of small businesses to help provide for his family and build a better life for his own children. According to biographical accounts about Cesar, this is when and where he began to learn and...

... middle of paper ...

...on helped pass the Agricultural Labor Relations Act in California, the only law in the nation that protects the rights of farm laborers to unionize. But more than anything, I believe, his contribution to society has been his legacy of service to others and the commitment to social justice for communities fighting against inequalities.

References

Ferris, Susan & Sandoval, Rircardo (1998). The Fight in the Fields: Cesar Chavez and the

Farmworkers Movement. Hartcourt-Brace

La Botz, Dan (2005). César Chávez and la Causa. Pearson Longman

Moyer, John (1970). Farmworker Movement: John Moyer interview César Chávez.

Retrieved from http://www.historyandtheheadlines.abc-clio.com/ContentPages/ContentPage.aspx?entryId=1665620¤tSection=1665275&productid=41

Northouse, Peter G. (2012). Introduction to Leadership Concepts and Practice. SAGE

Publications, Inc.

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