Migrant Farm Workers: Cesar Chavez

After he left the Navy Cesar married his girlfriend Helen Fabela in 1946. After being married they moved to San Jose, California. Cesar found a job for a Community Service Organization run by Fred Ross working as a voter registration and a fighter against economic and racial discrimination in 1952. Working in CSO for 6 years Cesar becomes executive director, moving to the headquarters in Los Angeles. In 1962, Cesar left CSO to organize a union for farm workers soon to be named National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) in Delano, California. The Association was mostly made of Mexican Americans and partnered with Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC) a Filipino American group. AWOC had started a strike against Delano grape growers and of course NFWA joined in as well. There were boycotts, marches, picketing, fast, and etc. all the strikers marched 250 miles from Delano all the way to Sacramento and gave their demands to the California Capital for higher wages. A couple of years passed and their message still wasn't getting through even when they told people all over not to buy or sell grapes, so Cesar decided that he was going to start a 25 day hunger strike. After that many grape companies lost so much

Many of the farm workers were not very sympathetic of Cesar Chavez when they first met him, but as he began to talk and express the ideas he had for the movement, workers soon knew that he was the leader they needed. The farm workers were constantly moving from place to place looking for better work opportunities, but they were always afraid of not knowing if they were going to have enough money for gas, to get to their next destination. Cesar Chavez made the farm workers realize that by being passive and not giving up in their movement, no matter the struggle that came along, together they would make their goal

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

César Chávez, a civil rights activist in the mid-1900s, stood up and made his voice heard for what he thought was wrong. In the twentieth century he noticed that farmers were being treated unjustly and he wanted to give them the rights that they deserved. He led many strikes and ended up being a great role model to the farmworkers who wanted more rights and better wages. His voice spoke to the people, especially the farmworkers, about injustice and what is right for them. César Chávez led with determination by fighting for the rights of farmers by orchestrating an organization for worker’s rights, battling the government, and never giving up from his cause.

Despite the obstacles and the hardship of his work he never gave up. “Tunnelers find it easier to stay the course because they gravitate toward meaning; they’re more likely to perceive a potential obstacles as a challenge than as a setback; and their psychological and physiological reactions are more robust” Brafman 95). Cesar Chavez was a leader to many farmers and immigrants. He showed and explained to farmers that they deserved more. He organized and led strikes and boycotts. Cesar Chavez committed his whole life on reaching the rights of farmers. His unwavering commitment goes beyond measures. He had a very difficult life that had many obstacles. During his strikes and boycotts Cesar Chavez would get arrested and put down by many people, but that did not stop him for what he believed.

Chavez wanted to help the community that he came from, as well as others like it. The migrant worker community became his main focus, this resulted his creation of the UFW in 1962 (Chavez Foundation). His earlier life as a migrant worker would be a strong influence for attaining better working conditions for those workers. Early in Chavez’s life, he was exposed to the hardships of migrant working. When Chavez was 10 his family was forced from their home in Yuma, Arizona because of back taxes and because of the depression, his family couldn’t pay the payments (Castillo and Garcia, 7). Chavez began migrant work when he was 14, and the injustices had a memorable effect. Migrant workers were often exploited because of their lack of organization in a uniform union group, something that Chavez would eventually change. In future years the UFW would give migrant workers a voice in the conditions under which they were living and working.

During the years of the Great Depression, Asian and Mexican immigrants had to take up the agricultural jobs in the United States. These immigrants made up the majority of the poor and faced problems with immigration, taxes, and the labor system, along with racial discrimination and a sense of inequality within society (Tejada-Flores, “The United”) Workers were surviving on 90 cents per hour with an addition of 10 cents per basket gathered for working in the fields and worked in poor environments and conditions. There were no toilets in the fields and no electricity or a plumbing system in the metal shacks that they were forced to pay two dollars or more per day for (“Fighting For Farm”). People then created and joined labor unions such as The United Farmworkers Union, which was established by the Mexican-American, Ceasar Chavez, to fight against injustice without violence for all farm workers. Chavez took all his important values, life lessons, and work experience to make a difference in the United States (Tejada-Flores, “Cesar Chavez”). Although he faces opposing opinions, he still managed to successfully lead the Delano grape strike and boycott and even help create the nation as we know it today.

He found that the locals were upset because the braceros were taking their jobs. The bracero program began in Congress in 1942. It’s purpose was to import seasonal contract laborers in times of labor shortages in the states. Apparently, the farmers would falsely claim labor shortages in order to import braceros. The wages that farmers paid the braceros was a lot lower than that they would have to pay the local workers. The farmers were also able to make their money back from the braceros by charging them excess for room and board. Cesar combated against the farmers by organizing boycotts, sit-downs and protests. All of Cesar’s accomplishments got him the state executive directorship for the CSO. He served this position for two years. In 1962, Chavez proposed that the CSO support a union movement for farm workers. The movement was brought to a vote a vote and rejected.

Cesar Chavez is a well renowned labor leader in American history. César Estrada Chávez was raised by a poor family of migrant farm workers. He had little to no time for school or freetime activities with his peers and experienced many bias racial comments because of his Mexican-American heritage. Despite this, César grew to become a gifted leader who inspired thousands of people to fix their lives and make it better. In the 1960’s César founded the United Farm Workers, an organization that led the members to fight for improved working conditions.

"Where there 's a will, there 's a way" is a phrase often used here in America and it holds true to all walks of life including migrant workers. The desires range from the simple want to make an honest living to wanting to support the family to just wanting to live the American dream. However, the "way", does not always possess the same innocent light of the optimistic saying. In Eric Schlosser’s article, “In the Strawberry Fields” he discusses exactly that. Immigrants often end up doing the laborious farm work most Americans are unwilling to do with good reason. More specifically, he discusses the working conditions of migrant workers in strawberry fields, one of the most difficult row crops to grow. This work is largely done in California where the farming industry is allowed to bend laws as they please, routinely exploiting the vulnerability of immigrants’ legal states. Though, the concepts of small fruits and workers ' rights are not completely relatable to one another until we move past the happy connotation of the vibrant red, juicy fruit and into the grittier efforts that go into making them what we know in grocery stores. Many of us have the pleasant memories of the cool fruit on warm summer days but this image is quite the opposite to its production. Bent at the waist, hundreds of migrant workers, pick fruits under the sweltering summer sun and it would seem like a way a farming that vanished long ago but it is most certainly here. Though the conditions are worsened

Whenever he would start a boycott or strike he would do it a way where there was no violence. Many immigrants would call Cesar Chavez their hero because of all the good things he

Cesar Chavez farm worker civil rights activist and inspirational leader to thousands of migrant farm workers in the 1960’s and 70’s. Believe in nonviolence to bring attention to the adversity of farm workers. He fought for decent wages treatment and working conditions. Led marches boycotts and went on several hunger strikes. Formed the Workers Union National Farm Workers Association. Now called United Farm Workers. His a accomplishments was overwhelming but at what price.

Cesar Chavez was a Latino civil rights activist, born to Librado and Juana Estrada Chavez on the thirty-first of March in the year 1927. During The Great Depression, he was obligated to move to California with his family to work in the vine fields. After moving to California as a young man he joined the United States Army serving two years during World War II. He later married Helen Fabela Chavez and together they had eight children. Chavez later passed away on April twenty-third 1993 in San Luis, Arizona, he was able to achieve the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994 for his civil rights movement. Therefore Cesar Chavez is certainly a hero, he improved the life of many Latino immigrant workers during the Great Depression by promoting non violence protesting, improving working conditions, and creating an organization.

Cesar Chavez, a civil rights leader for farm workers’, was born on March 31, 1927. He lived on his farm in Yuma, Arizona until he and his family lost it due to the Great Depression. After growing up, Chavez witnessed the cruel treatments of farm workers and saw how they needed assistance. He supported them and knew that it would be an important movement. Chavez strived to help the migrant workers needed their rights.

The United States is well known as the land of opportunity. Many immigrants come here to work and live a better life. For immigrants that cannot enter the country legally, the end result is to enter the country illegally. The majority of undocumented immigrants “do often take some of the country’s least attractive job, such as agriculture” (Davidson).