Community Special, By Cesar Chavez

In his first large protest, Cesar went on a long march. When reflecting upon the march Chavez remarked that, “We marched alone at the beginning, but today, we count men of all creeds, nationalities, and occupations in number.” (Chavez, 2) From the very beginning, Chavez brought groups of people together by uniting his small group of protesters with a group of Filipino strikers to create the United Farm Workers. Uniting his group of protesters with the group of striking Filipino workers allowed the protest to become bigger, and therefore more successful. The large numbers also attracted more attention from the media. By uniting groups of strikers, Chavez created a strong protest organization that lasts even today. Another essential group of people Chavez got to join his cause were the consumers. Chavez and his partner Dolores Huerta once wrote, “We called upon our fellow men, and were answered by consumers.” (Chavez, Huerta, 1) Consumers helped the protest by participating in a grape boycott, and did not buy grapes until the grape workers’ needs were met. With this boycott, Chavez tried to weaken the business of the grape growers until they complied, and it worked. When thousands of citizens would not by grapes, the media covered the issue. Through the media coverage, the boycott spread rapidly, uniting people from all over the United States. With the popularity of the boycott, the protest evolved into not just a protest, but a civil rights

Due to the importance of his life and death, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a symbol of justice and peace. In Cesar Chavez’s article published on the tenth anniversary of Dr. King’s death, he alludes to the achievements of King’s life of nonviolent actions to argue against violence. Chavez’s comparisons of ideas and words strengthen his argument about nonviolent resistance.

Cesar Chavez, a labor leader and civil rights activist, wrote an article that discusses his strong stand on how using nonviolent resistance is the better way to go rather than using violent acts. Inspired by the tenth anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Chavez writes an article about his argument on nonviolent resistance; he accomplishes that by using rhetorical choice like allusions, pathos, and tone.

Cesar Chavez’s biography shows a lot about the way he was raised and how that taught him his ways and shaped his personality. Cesar was born on March 31, 1927 (Gonzales 22) and was subjected early to intense destitution because his family was one of many migrant, Mexican-American, families (Pao) that rely on the money even if the conditions were terrible for any human. His experience of the farm worker’s life was what drove him to help other workers. “Cesar and his father trudged twelve miles to Yuma looking for a bank loan. They came back covered with dust and empty-handed.”(Terzian 7) He had early experiences with upwards battles and it taught him how to manage them. Another time was captured by James Terzian when he wrote about Chavez’s dad taking care of his fellow workers. “These people are poor, ignorant peasants - campesinos! They’ll sleep anywhere, eat anything take any wage you pay. Why waste your time and money on them, eh?” said the neighbor. Cesar’s dad responds, “They are children of God. They will get shelter and soap for as long as they work on my farm.” (5). He was raised to respect workers and understand that they are people too.

The article “Cesar Chavez Saved My Life,” written by Daniel “Nane” Alejandrez reflects on Mr. Alejandraz’s past, covering some very unfortunate events, but with a purpose of pulling emotion from the reader. While reading some parts of the article, I had to reread it over a few times to comprehend the point that the author was trying to make. The most important thing about knowing his past is that it is significantly different, and much more positive in the future because of one person, Cesar Chavez.

A community is a place where people around supposed to be able to live and thrive together. When one thinks of a community, the image that most likely is visualized is one of a place where each person lives harmoniously with all the other members of that community. While this may be the typical image of a community, it is not the realistic view. In reality communities can share both good and bad aspects. In Place Matters: Metropolitics for the Twenty-First Century Peter Dreier, John Mollenkopf, and Todd Swanstrom make the argument that the place a person lives ultimately matters over all else; the place which a person lives effects the choices that that he/she makes and determines his/her ability to obtain a

“If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with them. The people who give you their food gives you their heart.” Cesar Chavez and his family moved to California he lived in a poor town called. Sal si puedes which means escape if you can .Then when Cesar Chavez was nineteen he joined the Navy in 1946. For two years but he stopped and joined the CSO in 1952 while working he began to work for latino civil rights. In 1965 the NWFA joined the AWOC in a strike against the grape growers . His bravery was with him the whole time .

During his lifetime, Cesar Chavez and his followers made many changes and contributions to society. While he was alive, he had the privilege to see what his non-violence actions produced; what they transpired. It is recorded that Chavez began actively organizing workers in the fields in 1952. The California-based Community Service Organization (CSO) recruited and trained for his work. Chavez built new chapters of CSO, led voter registration drives, and helped Mexican-Americans confront issues of police and immigration abuse during the next ten years. In 1958 he became general director of CSO. With

A girth of Cesar Chavez's accomplishments as a union leader and labor organizer came to be in the 60s, as he stressed his union and supporters to use nonviolent resistance as to means to gain better pay, treatment, and working conditions. Through Chavez’s use of juxtaposition, repetition, and pathos , he attempts to convince the audience of the progressive impact of nonviolence and the regressive impact of violence.

During his lifetime, Cesar Chavez and his followers made many changes and contributions to society. While he was alive, he had the privilege to see what his non-violence actions produced; what they transpired. It is recorded that Chavez began actively organizing workers in the fields in 1952. The California-based Community Service Organization (CSO) recruited and trained for his work. Chavez built new chapters of CSO, led voter registration drives, and helped Mexican-Americans confront issues of police and immigration abuse during the next ten years. In 1958 he became general director of CSO. With $1,200 of his own savings, Chavez resigned four years later, to found the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) in 1962. (Gale Encyclopedia) He was a very determined man; strived in everything he put his mind to. Russell declares that by

Cesar Chavez once explained the horrors of society when he said, “When the man who feeds the world by toiling in the fields is himself deprived of the basic rights of feeding, sheltering and caring for is family, the whole community of man is sick.” (ufw.org) That means that the whole of humanity is sick and cruel when the man who works the fields all day long to feed the all of the citizens of the entire world can’t even provide for himself. It was not a small amount of people it affected, it was millions, and millions of citizens across the world. Chavez was a large factor in beginning to abolish racism, or also called the Civil Rights Movement.

One reason Cesar Chavez was an effective leader was because he created a union known as the United Farm Workers. Chavez’s goal was to organize the farmers to receive better pay and better working conditions. He was not the first to attempt, others have tried but failed due to the power of growers. He was different, he gained support through encouragement. His exact words were “si se puede”(Doc A) meaning “it can be done”. He encouraged his supporters to seek their rights as farmers. “ The strongest act of manliness, is to sacrifice ourselves for other in a totally nonviolent struggle for justice”(Doc C). Chavez along

Cesar Chavez, an eighth grade dropout, proves to be a man of courage, honesty and honor. This notable union leader was toughened and prepared for the life ahead of him by his early experience as a migrant laborer. Facing injustices at an early age and commencing childhood as a poor farm worker, Cesar Chavez could have been a man of insignificance. Instead, Cesar never failed to be a loyal leader and strive for justice all while being a passionate worker to live out the American dream. His value for hard work and devotion for the less fortunate are attributes that justify why he is seen as the most important Latino leader who was triumphant in keeping the dream alive.

Cesar Chavez published an article on the tenth anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This article consisted of the importance of nonviolent change, and how the outcome will always be for the better. Chavez effectively justifies the morality of nonviolence, as well as demoralizing “senseless violence.”

A community is a group of people who live in the same area, interact with each other, and share certain norms and values. A community is defined as a locality-based entity, composed of systems of formal organizations reflecting societal institutions, informal groups, and aggregates that are interdependent and whose function or expressed intent is to meet a wide variety of collective needs (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2012).