Cesar Chavez: Latino Civil Rights Activist

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

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

2). Cesar fought and became known for founding the National Farm Workers Association. He promoted the American labor movement whose purpose was to protest against the unfair farm labor treatment workers were receiving. Chavez accomplished something that seemed almost impossible for thousands who worked in the lands without using violence as a tool but rather unity (Koo-Byoung par. 7).

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

describe the union leader Cesar Chavez. Below I’ll explain the efforts that this man did

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.

Cesar Chavez fought for other migrant farmers because he had experienced what they were experiencing, and thought he should make a difference when Chavez started leading the UFW, United Farm Workers, is when his movement really started. Lots of things happened during Chavez’s childhood “At age 11, his family lost their farm during the Great Depression and became migrant farm workers”(Cesar Chavez Foundation). That is the main reason for why Chavez noticed the issues that were surfacing with workers, this is what got him into the farms. Cesar taught many unforgettable lessons “Cesar learned and taught others how commitment and sacrifice can set you free from the constraints imposed by depending entirely on money and material things”(Cesar Chavez Foundation). The citation shows how Cesar made a big impact on others even if only teaching them. Cesar did many

Chavez was a Latino farmer. He migrated to Arizona. Cesar Chavez was working in the South in hot fields and vineyards. After his forceful speech, he was known as a religious and spiritual person. From Chavez’s background, he understands the hard workers

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.

Throughout the era of the great depression, migrant farm workers were put at unfair labor. A man named Cesar Chavez helped migrant farm workers by boycotting the fruit companies they worked for and forming unions for them. The beginning of Chavez’s life, striking and boycotting fruit companies, and his new projects were the biggest impact in changing farm worker’s lives.

Cesar Chavez was an American labor leader and leader of the civil rights movements. Chavez was in search of justice for his people, especially Mexicans and Latinos. He stands up for these people because he saw how their bosses were with those people. Their bosses were treating them like slaves and not paying them the amount of money they should be getting. Chavez was a victim of that and he saw that no one was making any changes and he took the chance and do justice.

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.

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.

Cesar Chavez is best known for using non-violent methods to fight for the rights of migrant farm workers. It is people like Cesar Chavez that give people hope to continue, regardless of the situation. Cesar Chavez is also remembered for all of his very powerful speeches that made a difference in this world for Mexican-Americans. For instance, in his address to the Commonwealth Club of California, Cesar Chavez used diction and different types of rhetorical appeals and details to help change American history for Hispanics in order for them to gain better pay and working conditions.

Cesar Chavez was a great man who touched the lives of many, founded the National Farm Workers Association, was willing to die for his cause as an inspiration to many. Though I myself cannot be this prodigious man, I can certainly do my best to make him proud. Therefore, I would like you to contrive in yourself, as I have in mine, the qualities of this great man which elicit his success.