"How Everything Started"

"How Everything Started" 

            Cesar Chaves was a union leader and labor organizer. Cesar Chaves had a lot of helpers in that union Dolores Huerta was one of the biggest helpers he had. She was a dedicated and fierce community activist. Chaves worked so hard so that immigrants from other countries could have better pay and better working conditions especially for farm workers. After hard working as a community and labor organizer in the 1950s, Chavez founded the National Farm Workers Association in 1962.

            On 1966 Chaves gather as much as people he could and begin a march from Delano to Sacramento. In fact, the march was 250 miles long. All though the march was extremely long Chaves and all the people that where marching with him knew it was going to be worth it. In other words, they wanted to let the public and lawmakers know about the mistreatment of farm workers. In that same year senator Robert Kennedy supported the National Farm Workers Association “NFWA” grape boycott.

            On Dec. 14, 1970 Chaves decides to walk to the Monterey county jail, surrounded by supporters. In addition, Chaves was jailed for 20 days for refusing to obey a court order to stop the boycott against Bud Antle lettuce. Later that year on 1974, The name of the NFWA was changed to United Farm Workers (UFW). The purpose of the UFW was to frame Chaves campaigns in terms of consumer safety and involving social justice, bringing benefits to the farmworkers unions. Also, The UFW allowed farmworkers to help improve their working conditions and wages.

            Cesar Chaves did a lot of good things for the farmworkers and we know most of them, but not all of them. For example, Chaves originated the slogan “is, se puede”, He was a veteran of the United States armed services, and He was a picker eater then many modern’s day vegans. Chaves was a really interesting man. Even though Chaves did all kinds of good things for farmworkers he wanted to stop more immigrants from crossing the border. However, Chaves was doing that because if other immigrants came to the U.S they wouldn’t necessary going to follow the standers that Chaves was asking for. Therefore, farm owners where going to take advantage of them and not give them what Chaves was asking for.

            The story of Cesar Chaves tells you how passionate he was for better working conditions and better pay. All in all, until this day we still remember Chaves as a hard-working person that help thousands of people. In fact, he even has his own holiday. Along with schools and buildings that were name after him.