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Becoming A Master Student, Concise, Tenth Edition
Dave Ellis | | | |
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Cesar Chavez was born on March 31, 1927 in Arizona, the second of six children, and the oldest son. He was a second generation Mexican American whose grandfather had immigrated from Chihuahua, Mexico to southern California in the 1880's. Chavez's father was a prospering farm owner, who operated the local general store and acted as the local postmaster.
Relative peace and prosperity lasted until the age of 10, at which time a poor business decision led to the loss of the family farm and all of their belongings. America, and the rest of the western world, was still in the midst of the Great Depression, and Chavez's father, unable to find work locally, was forced to pack up the family and adapt to the life of a migrant worker. Along with many other American families who fell under hard times during this period, the Chavez's life as migrant workers took them across the Southwest and into Southern California, where they roamed from farm to farm working season-to-season under terrible conditions wherever the help was needed. Later in life, Chavez estimated that he attended 65 elementary schools before he graduated the 8th grade - a rare accomplishment for migrant children at the time, who were routinely marginalized by teachers who did not want to waste time on them as they were likely to leave at any time.
After completing the 8th grade, Chavez, who had been working part-time all through his schooling, ended his education in order to work full-time on the farms. It was at this time that he began to really understand the extent to which migrant workers, who were predominantly of Mexican descent in Southern California, were exploited. He began to reason with farm owners for better pay, but limited resources ended his fight early.
In 1944, Chavez joined the U.S. Navy and served in World War II. He returned to California after the service, and in 1948 married Helen Fabela, a young woman who shared his views on the problems facing migrant farm workers in the U. S. Together, they began teaching workers to read and write, giving them the education to become a U.S. citizen and be more willing to stand up for their rights.
During this time, Chavez was also working in the farms. He was approached by a representative of the local Community Service Organization and asked to help out as an organizer. He spent his nights holding meetings and giving speeches to inform workers of their rights and of the importance of voting as a means to secure those rights. As a result of his commitment to the cause, Chavez was dismissed from a number of farm jobs before going to work for the Organization full time.
Though many workers understood the hardships they were faced with and knew to some degree the extent to which they were being exploited, they were still reluctant to join Chavez's movement for fear of losing their jobs. In 1962, Chavez left his job with the Community Service Organization and devoted his time and energies to organizing a union for farm workers. His wife had to take to the fields picking fruit in order to feed his children as he traveled from camp to camp speaking and recruiting. Later that year, a 300 member group met in Fresno, California to found the National Farm Workers Union, and was chartered by the American Federation of Labor and Congress on Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO).
In 1965, the Union staged a strike against the grape owners in protest of poor working condition and wages. The owners hired illegal workers and used brute force to break the strike. The Union's efforts, however, gained the support of public figures, religious leaders, and citizens from across the country. Finally in 1970, an agreement was reached between the workers and the owners, and the strike ended.
In 1973, the National Farm Workers Union was renamed the United Farm Workers of America, with Chavez as its president. Throughout the past four decades, the UFW and Chavez have won many such victories for the rights of farm workers. They established the first union health benefits for farm workers, and negotiated an agreement with the Mexican government to have those benefits provide for families in Mexico. They established the first credit unions, contracts for safety and sanitary conditions, and pension plans for retirees. They also paved the way for regulations banning discrimination in employment and sexual harassment for female workers.
Throughout his life, Chavez continued to fight for the rights of the underprivileged, speaking and marching up until his death in 1973. He left behind 7 children who have continued his struggles for workers rights. In 1994 President Clinton posthumously awarded Cesar Chavez the U.S. Medal of Freedom for his lifelong pursuit of justice and human rights.
More information is available for each of the Master Student Profiles that appear in Becoming a Master Student. Start by visiting these web sites to find out more about Cesar Chavez. Then, use your favorite search engine to find more information. Remember to think critically about information you find online.
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Mail to: csweb.collegesurvival@cengage.com
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