Cesar Chavez was a towering figure in both the civil rights movement and American labor. In 2014, President Barack Obama established a federal commemorative holiday for Chavez on March 31, celebrating the birth and legacy of the renowned activist. This holiday later became the Cesar Chavez & Dolores Huerta Day of Service to recognize the contributions of Huerta, who worked closely with Chavez as a labor activist and also became an advocate for women's rights. On Monday, March 31, Rio Salado College celebrated this annual recognition of labor history by hosting an event called Cesar Chavez Day: A Legacy of Leadership and Advocacy.
Karol Schmidt, Rio Salado’s Dean of Institutional Effectiveness, delivered an informative and extensively researched presentation on Chavez’s life and work after an opening introduction by Administrative Services Program Manager Reina Ferrufino. Schmidt’s presentation also included video interviews and archival footage of the late Chavez (who died in 1993) as well as reflections from people who either worked with him or knew him well.
Schmidt started off by talking about Chavez’s youth. Born near Yuma, Ariz., in 1927, the young Chavez lived in an overcrowded house with no electricity or running water. His lifelong empathy and solidarity with farm workers can be traced back to his childhood— Chavez had to drop out of school after the eighth grade so he could work in the fields to help support his family. Chavez experienced first-hand the indignities of his trade: the lack of adequate food or water for workers, poor pay, abusive treatment from management, the risk of injury with no medical coverage. For Chavez, the neglected and maligned farmworker was not an Other, some abstraction: he and his closest relatives were those abused workers.
Schmidt’s presentation included interesting history about segregation and how there were Latino-only schools in the U.S. There was even a court case, Mendez Vs. Westminster, which served as a precursor to the landmark Brown Vs. Board of Education ruling in 1954.
A video interview with Paul Chavez, Cesar’s son, worked to humanize the legend. Paul Chavez talked about how surprised people were at his father’s quiet demeanor, a man who one-on-one was much more soft-spoken and humble than you’d expect from an activist firebrand. Like his father, Paul Chavez grew up in the farmworker movement and saw how his father inspired workers to stand firm for their rights.
Schmidt’s presentation also shared the deep influence of St. Francis and Gandhi on Chavez’s activism. Chavez firmly believed in non-violence and insisted on that as the guiding principle behind his movement’s actions. The only harm he inflicted was upon himself: Chavez participated in three debilitating fasts over the years as acts of protest, with one fast lasting for 36 days!
Chavez was also influenced by Fred Ross, one of the organizers behind the Community Service Organization (CSO). CSO was a Latino civil right group. Chavez worked closely with CSO until they parted ways over the organization’s refusal to support a union. Leaving CSO, Chavez would go on to co-found the National Farm Workers Association with Dolores Huerta.
Together, Chavez and Huerta organized dramatic and impactful actions. Chief among them being the Delano, Calif., Grape Strike, which ran from 1965-1970. To this day it is the longest strike in American history. Chavez also organized a grueling 340-mile march from Delano to Sacramento in support of the Grape Strike. He organized voter registration drives, get-out-the-vote initiatives, and advocated for fair wages, benefits, and medical coverage for farm workers.
Chavez also worked to instill a spirit of racial harmony in his labor efforts. He insisted that the Latino and Filipino workers participating in the Grape Strike work together, striking as one group instead of splitting off into different groups. He even made them work and eat in the same strike kitchens and union halls.
Schmidt closed her presentation with an illuminating quote from the man himself: “We don’t need perfect political systems: we need perfect participation.”
Learn More
Interested in learning more about Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta? The Rio Salado library staff have put together an informative guide full of resources (including articles, documentary videos, and book recommendations) to deepen your knowledge about these pivotal figures in 20th century American history.
Article by Austin Brietta