The legacy of César Chávez
When you enter “César Chávez” into a google search box, you get back a little over 92 million results. Despite growing up in the pre-computer era, I knew all about Chávez and the United Farm Workers (UFW) thanks to my activist, minister father. We practiced ‘meatless Wednesdays’, recycling (before it was common practice), and energy conservation. Dinner discussions centered around the current events of the day. The Vietnam War, the war on poverty, civil rights, and the rights of migrant farm workers were all on the table. Our fruits and vegetables came from local farms in Rockland County but there were no grapes on our table for years. Boycotts became a way of life for us. Speaking with our feet and our dollars became our language.
chavezfoundation.org
The Presidential proclamation for César Chávez Day was signed on March 28th, the document calls on us to mark the day with service, community, and educational programs in honor of Chávez’ legacy. So what exactly is his legacy?
A first generation American, Chávez was born in Arizona where he and his siblings worked on their family’s farm after school. After a shady business deal the family lost their lands and they became migrant farm workers. While he was seen as an educated man later in life, Chávez actually discontinued formal education after eighth grade when he began working the fields to help support his family. As a man who believed that education was important, he never stopped learning and sought information everywhere he went. Following a stint in the Navy, and marriage to Helen, he came into contact with Fred Ross and began working for the Community Service Organization where he worked on voter registration. While helping others had been ingrained into him by his family, service to others became his passion under Ross’ mentoring. It was while he was working at the CSO, that Chávez met Dolores Huerta and a powerhouse team was born.
The unionizing of farm workers was a natural progression from the National Farm Workers Association and their home-grown credit union. The United Farm Workers of America (UFW) was established in 1962. The logo initially drawn by Chávez’ brother, became a stylized eagle, with squared off wings, to make it easy for