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'''Cesar Chavez''' or '''César Chávez''' (1927-1993), was an American labor leader and [[Latino]] civil rights activist, founder of the '''[[United Farm Workers]]''' ('''UFW'''). His public-relations approach to unionism and aggressive but nonviolent tactics made the farm workers' struggle a moral cause with nationwide support. By the late 1970s, his tactics had forced growers to recognize the UFW as the bargaining agent for 50,000 field workers in California and Florida. However, by the mid-1980s membership in the UFW had dwindled to around 15,000.  His work is said to have led to many improvements in the working conditions experienced by farmhands.   

'''Cesar Chavez''' or '''César Chávez''' (1927-1993), was an American labor leader and [[Latino]] civil rights activist, founder of the '''[[United Farm Workers]]''' ('''UFW'''). His public-relations approach to unionism and aggressive but nonviolent tactics made the farm workers' struggle a moral cause with nationwide support. By the late 1970s, his tactics had forced growers to recognize the UFW as the bargaining agent for 50,000 field workers in California and Florida. However, by the mid-1980s membership in the UFW had dwindled to around 15,000.  His work is said to have led to many improvements in the working conditions experienced by farmhands.   

Chavez was charismatic; a self-taught rhetorical genius he created commitment by inspiring well educated Latino idealists with undiscovered organizing potential and encouraged them to offer a liberating, self-abnegating devotion to the farmworkers' movement.  Claiming as his models the violent Mexican warlord [[Emiliano Zapata]] as well as non-violent leaders [[Gandhi]], [[Nehru]] and [[Martin Luther King]], Chavez called on his people to, "Make a solemn promise: to enjoy our rightful part of the riches of this land, to throw off the yoke of being considered as agricultural implements or slaves. We are free men and we demand justice."

Chavez was charismatic; a self-taught rhetorical genius he created commitment by inspiring well educated Latino idealists with undiscovered organizing potential and encouraged them to offer a liberating, self-abnegating devotion to the farmworkers' movement.  Claiming as his models the violent Mexican warlord [[Emiliano Zapata]] as well as non-violent leaders [[Gandhi]], [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] and [[Martin Luther King]], Chavez called on his people to, "Make a solemn promise: to enjoy our rightful part of the riches of this land, to throw off the yoke of being considered as agricultural implements or slaves. We are free men and we demand justice."

After his death he became a major historical icon for the Latino community, and for liberals generally, symbolizing militant support for workers and for Hispanic power based on grass roots organizing and his slogan "Sí, se puede" (Yes we can!) His importance as a Latino hero in American history is celebrated by birthday becoming a holiday in four states and that the [[United States Postal Service]] has released a stamp in his honor.

After his death he became a major historical icon for the Latino community, and for liberals generally, symbolizing militant support for workers and for Hispanic power based on grass roots organizing and his slogan "Sí, se puede" (Yes we can!) His importance as a Latino hero in American history is celebrated by birthday becoming a holiday in four states and that the [[United States Postal Service]] has released a stamp in his honor.

==Early life==

==Early life==

He was born on March 31, 1927 on a farm near [[Yuma]], [[Arizona]] owned by his parents. His family lost their holdings during the [[Great Depression]] and moved to [[California]] to work in the fields.  Chavez attended numerous schools but never finished the eighth grade. Chavez served in the United States Navy 1944-1946, then worked in the fields until 1952. In 1952 he became an organizer for the Community Service Organization ('''CSO'''), targeting police brutality. In 1958 he was elected executive director of the CSO.<ref>''The Story of Cesar Chavez'' (UFW Biography) http://lasculturas.com/biographies/214-civil-rights/112-cesar-chavez</ref>

He was born on March 31, 1927 on a farm near [[Yuma]], [[Arizona]] owned by his parents. His family lost their holdings during the [[Great Depression]] and moved to [[California]] to work in the fields.  Chavez attended numerous schools but never finished the eighth grade. Chavez served in the United States Navy 1944-1946, then worked in the fields until 1952. In 1952 he became an organizer for the Community Service Organization ('''CSO'''), an organization founded by activist Fred Ross as a subsidiary of the [[Industrial Areas Foundation]].  After working with Chavez, Ross convinced [[Saul D. Alinsky]] that Chavez should be hired.<ref>[https://www.thenation.com/article/meet-the-long-forgotten-organizer-who-inspired-cesar-chavez-to-become-an-activist/ https://www.thenation.com/article/meet-the-long-forgotten-organizer-who-inspired-cesar-chavez-to-become-an-activist/]</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=UbicAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA417 Britannica Guide to 100 Most Influential Americans]</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=cHsnz5efcMQC&pg=PT54 Trampling Out the Vintage: Cesar Chavez and the Two Souls of the United Farm Workers]</ref>

 

During that time, the CSO was targeting police brutality. In 1958 he was elected executive director of the CSO.<ref>''The Story of Cesar Chavez'' (UFW Biography) http://lasculturas.com/biographies/214-civil-rights/112-cesar-chavez</ref>

==Farm Workers==

==Farm Workers==

In 1962 Chavez resigned from the CSO, moved to Delano, California, and founded the National Farm Workers Association ('''NFWA'''), precursor of the UFW. Dolores Huerta (b. 1930), was cofounder, first vice president and director of negotiations.<ref>Richard A. Garcia, "Dolores Huerta: Woman, Organizer, and Symbol." ''California History'' 1993 72(1): 56-71. Issn: 0162-2897</ref>  Both Chavez and Huerta were personally mentored by Fred Ross,<ref>[http://action.ufw.org/page/s/fredross Ask President Obama to award Presidential Medal of Freedom to Cesar's mentor, Fred Ross Sr.]</ref> a close associate of [[Saul Alinsky]].

In 1962 Chavez resigned from the CSO, moved to Delano, California, and founded the National Farm Workers Association ('''NFWA'''), precursor of the UFW. [[Dolores Huerta]] (b. 1930), was cofounder, first vice president and director of negotiations.<ref>Richard A. Garcia, "Dolores Huerta: Woman, Organizer, and Symbol." ''California History'' 1993 72(1): 56-71. Issn: 0162-2897</ref>  Both Chavez and Huerta were personally mentored by Fred Ross.<ref>[http://action.ufw.org/page/s/fredross Ask President Obama to award Presidential Medal of Freedom to Cesar's mentor, Fred Ross Sr.]</ref>

At first, Chavez concentrated on building a grassroots power base among the field workers. In 1965 the NFWA first engaged in militant action by supporting a strike of Filipino grape pickers organized by the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC) led by Larry Itliong.  Although the NFWA was weak, Chavez led his 2,000 members out on strike in support of the smaller group.  

At first, Chavez concentrated on building a grassroots power base among the field workers. In 1965 the NFWA first engaged in militant action by supporting a strike of Filipino grape pickers organized by the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC) led by Larry Itliong.  Although the NFWA was weak, Chavez led his 2,000 members out on strike in support of the smaller group.  

Under Chavez the essential activity of the UFW was support work and publicity, primarily the boycott, rather than organizing farm workers in the fields. The very best farmworker activists, the strongest "Chavistas," were removed from the fields and direct contact with farmworkers, so that they could be sent to work in the boycott offices of major cities.  The UFW was one of the least democratic unions in the country, with local officials appointed by the UFW executive board and under the direct control of Chavez. Most union staff served at his pleasure, and any local leaders who sought any real power independent of Chavez were fired by him. Chavez's insistence that the union's best strategies were marching and fasting resulted in the departure of key staffers who needed more than the union's salary of $5 a week and room and board.  But by 1990 all the gains were lost. The lack of organizational strength among farm workers, together with fading support for boycotts, and a new Republican governor in Sacramento in 1983, allowed the largest growers to replace union contracts with labor contractors or to refuse to renegotiate UFW contracts when they expired. Average hourly wages fell to $5 and the UFW lost 80% of its membership as only 1% of California farm workers were union members.<ref>Frank Bardacke, "Cesar's Ghost: Decline and Fall of the U.F.W.", ''The Nation'' (July 26, 1993) [http://www.thenation.com/doc/19930726/bardacke/single online version]</ref>     

Under Chavez the essential activity of the UFW was support work and publicity, primarily the boycott, rather than organizing farm workers in the fields. The very best farmworker activists, the strongest "Chavistas," were removed from the fields and direct contact with farmworkers, so that they could be sent to work in the boycott offices of major cities.  The UFW was one of the least democratic unions in the country, with local officials appointed by the UFW executive board and under the direct control of Chavez. Most union staff served at his pleasure, and any local leaders who sought any real power independent of Chavez were fired by him. Chavez's insistence that the union's best strategies were marching and fasting resulted in the departure of key staffers who needed more than the union's salary of $5 a week and room and board.  But by 1990 all the gains were lost. The lack of organizational strength among farm workers, together with fading support for boycotts, and a new Republican governor in Sacramento in 1983, allowed the largest growers to replace union contracts with labor contractors or to refuse to renegotiate UFW contracts when they expired. Average hourly wages fell to $5 and the UFW lost 80% of its membership as only 1% of California farm workers were union members.<ref>Frank Bardacke, "Cesar's Ghost: Decline and Fall of the U.F.W.", ''The Nation'' (July 26, 1993) [http://www.thenation.com/doc/19930726/bardacke/single online version]</ref>     

[[Image:Chavez1969.jpg|thumb|280px|''Time'' magazine July 4, 1969]]

[[Image:Chavez1969.jpg|thumb|280px|''Time'' magazine July 4, 1969]]

==Image and Memory==

==Image and Memory==

On the highly symbolic date of July 4, 1969 ''Time Magazine'' featured Chavez on its cover and hailed him  as the "mystical" and "earthy" leader of the Mexican American civil rights movement, and the Chicano Martin Luther King Jr.<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,840167,00.html "The Little Strike That Grew to La Causa," ''Time'' July 4, 1969]</ref> resident Bill Clinton awarded Chavez a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom; the Post Office issued a first-class stamp with his picture in 2003; and California made his birthday an official state holiday. Schools, libraries, and streets have been named for him in California, Arizona, Texas, Minnesota, and other states.

On the highly symbolic date of July 4, 1969 ''Time Magazine'' featured Chavez on its cover and hailed him  as the "mystical" and "earthy" leader of the Mexican American civil rights movement, and the Chicano Martin Luther King Jr.<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,840167,00.html "The Little Strike That Grew to La Causa," ''Time'' July 4, 1969]</ref> resident Bill Clinton awarded Chavez a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom; the Post Office issued a first-class stamp with his picture in 2003; and California made his birthday an official state holiday. Schools, libraries, and streets have been named for him in California, Arizona, Texas, Minnesota, and other states.

==Bibliography==

==Bibliography==

* Bardacke, Frank. "Cesar's Ghost: Decline and Fall of the U.F.W.", ''The Nation'' (July 26, 1993) [http://www.thenation.com/doc/19930726/bardacke/single online version]

* Bardacke, Frank. "Cesar's Ghost: Decline and Fall of the U.F.W.", ''The Nation'' (July 26, 1993) [http://www.thenation.com/doc/19930726/bardacke/single online version]

* Bruns, Roger.  ''Cesar Chavez: A Biography'' (2005) [http://www.amazon.com/Cesar-Chavez-Biography-Greenwood-Biographies/dp/0313334528/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1213014626&sr=1-19 excerpt and text search]

* Bruns, Roger.  ''Cesar Chavez: A Biography'' (2005) [https://www.amazon.com/Cesar-Chavez-Biography-Greenwood-Biographies/dp/0313334528/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1213014626&sr=1-19 excerpt and text search]

*  Burt, Kenneth C. ''"The Search for a Civic Voice: California Latino Politics," (2007).

*  Burt, Kenneth C. ''"The Search for a Civic Voice: California Latino Politics," (2007).

* Dalton, Frederick John. ''The Moral Vision of Cesar Chavez'' (2003) [http://www.amazon.com/Moral-Vision-Cesar-Chavez/dp/1570754586/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1213014626&sr=1-15 excerpt and text search]

* Dalton, Frederick John. ''The Moral Vision of Cesar Chavez'' (2003) [https://www.amazon.com/Moral-Vision-Cesar-Chavez/dp/1570754586/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1213014626&sr=1-15 excerpt and text search]

*  Etulain, Richard W. ''Cesar Chavez: A Brief Biography with Documents'' (2002), 138pp; by a leading historian. [http://www.amazon.com/Cesar-Chavez-Biography-Documents-Bedford/dp/0312294271/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1213014626&sr=1-16 excerpt and text search]

*  Etulain, Richard W. ''Cesar Chavez: A Brief Biography with Documents'' (2002), 138pp; by a leading historian. [https://www.amazon.com/Cesar-Chavez-Biography-Documents-Bedford/dp/0312294271/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1213014626&sr=1-16 excerpt and text search]

* Ferriss,  Susan, and Ricardo Sandoval, eds. ''The Fight in the Fields: Cesar Chavez and the Farmworkers Movement'' (1998) [http://www.amazon.com/Fight-Fields-Chavez-Farmworkers-Movement/dp/0156005980/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1213011050&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search]

* Ferriss,  Susan, and Ricardo Sandoval, eds. ''The Fight in the Fields: Cesar Chavez and the Farmworkers Movement'' (1998) [https://www.amazon.com/Fight-Fields-Chavez-Farmworkers-Movement/dp/0156005980/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1213011050&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search]

* Griswold del Castillo, Richard, and Richard A. Garcia. ''Cesar Chavez: A Triumph of Spirit'' (1995). highly favorable treatment

* Griswold del Castillo, Richard, and Richard A. Garcia. ''Cesar Chavez: A Triumph of Spirit'' (1995). highly favorable treatment

* Hammerback, John C., and Richard J. Jensen. ''The Rhetorical Career of Cesar Chavez.'' (1998).

* Hammerback, John C., and Richard J. Jensen. ''The Rhetorical Career of Cesar Chavez.'' (1998).

===Primary Sources===

===Primary Sources===

*  Chavez, Cesar. ''The Words of Cesar Chavez'' ed. by Richard J. Jensen, and John C. Hammerback (2002) [http://www.amazon.com/Words-Cesar-Chavez/dp/1585441708/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1213011050&sr=1-9 excerpt and text search]

*  Chavez, Cesar. ''The Words of Cesar Chavez'' ed. by Richard J. Jensen, and John C. Hammerback (2002) [https://www.amazon.com/Words-Cesar-Chavez/dp/1585441708/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1213011050&sr=1-9 excerpt and text search]

==References==

==References==

[[Category:Civil Rights Leaders]]

[[Category:Civil Rights Leaders]]

[[Category:Labor Union Leaders]]

[[Category:Labor Union Leaders]]

[[Category:1960s]]

[[Category:1960s]]

[[Category:Latinos]]

[[Category:Latinos]]

[[Category:Presidential Medal of Freedom award winners]]

[[Category:Presidential Medal of Freedom award winners]]