An Overview of Cesar Chavez
Get the facts about Cesar Chavez with this compilation of background material about his life, the campaign to honor him with a national holiday and the biopic that made its debut on the silver screen just before his birthday. Moreover hear directly what Chavez thought about issues such as union organizing and poverty with a list of his notable quotes.
Cesar Chavez was a complex man who went on to become one of the most famous labor leaders in U.S. history. He not only supported nonviolence but went on multiple hunger strikes to draw attention to the plight of farm workers. What motivated Chavez to become an activist? For one, he not only was born to migrant workers but also worked in the fields himself as a child. He saw his family lost their belongings in the Great Depression and could identify with the nation’s most vulnerable groups of people. Influenced by people such the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi, Chavez did not just organize Latino farm workers but worked to mobilize white, black and Filipino farm workers as well. Though he’s often been described as a reserved person, Chavez managed to get scores of Americans to boycott grapes and other produce grown in unethical, and sometimes, hazardous conditions.More »
Three states have a day in honor of Cesar Chavez: California, Texas and Colorado. There is yet to be a federal holiday in his honor, but many of his supporters have rallied for such a day. Despite their efforts, a national Cesar Chavez holiday may never be recognized by the federal government because Republicans have blocked the creation of such a day on more than one occasion. Rep. Joe Baca from California has expressed outrage that anyone would try to deny the man that Robert F. Kennedy called “one of the most heroic figures of our time” with a holiday. In addition to Baca, President Barack Obama, musician Carlos Santana and actors Martin Sheen and Edward James Olmos have all backed a holiday in honor of Cesar Chavez.More »
Just as the biopic “Mandela” earned lukewarm reviews from film critics, so did the biopic “Cesar Chavez,” directed by Diego Luna. A variety of critics from publications such as the New York Times, the Washington Post and the San Francisco Chronicle said that found Cesar Chavez inspirational as a person. However, they felt that the movie fell short. Rather than portray Chavez as a complex man, he was portrayed as saint-like, critics said. Moreover, the filmmakers did not explain what exactly he was fighting for and why. And while Chavez and the farm workers were depicted as entirely good, the landowners in the film were depicted as entirely morally bankrupt, critics argued.More »
What better way to learn about Cesar Chavez than to hear his views directly on issues such as organizing, poverty, his opposition and how giving workers the ability to unionize leads to social justice? “Our cause, our strike against table grapes, and our international boycott are all founded upon our deep conviction that the form of collective self-help which is unionization holds far more hope for the farm worker than any other single approach, whether public or private,” Chavez saidMore »
•12 Facts About Cesar Chavez
Cesar Chavez was a complex man who went on to become one of the most famous labor leaders in U.S. history. He not only supported nonviolence but went on multiple hunger strikes to draw attention to the plight of farm workers. What motivated Chavez to become an activist? For one, he not only was born to migrant workers but also worked in the fields himself as a child. He saw his family lost their belongings in the Great Depression and could identify with the nation’s most vulnerable groups of people. Influenced by people such the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi, Chavez did not just organize Latino farm workers but worked to mobilize white, black and Filipino farm workers as well. Though he’s often been described as a reserved person, Chavez managed to get scores of Americans to boycott grapes and other produce grown in unethical, and sometimes, hazardous conditions.More »
•The Cesar Chavez Holiday
Three states have a day in honor of Cesar Chavez: California, Texas and Colorado. There is yet to be a federal holiday in his honor, but many of his supporters have rallied for such a day. Despite their efforts, a national Cesar Chavez holiday may never be recognized by the federal government because Republicans have blocked the creation of such a day on more than one occasion. Rep. Joe Baca from California has expressed outrage that anyone would try to deny the man that Robert F. Kennedy called “one of the most heroic figures of our time” with a holiday. In addition to Baca, President Barack Obama, musician Carlos Santana and actors Martin Sheen and Edward James Olmos have all backed a holiday in honor of Cesar Chavez.More »
•Critics Pan Cesar Chavez Biopic
Just as the biopic “Mandela” earned lukewarm reviews from film critics, so did the biopic “Cesar Chavez,” directed by Diego Luna. A variety of critics from publications such as the New York Times, the Washington Post and the San Francisco Chronicle said that found Cesar Chavez inspirational as a person. However, they felt that the movie fell short. Rather than portray Chavez as a complex man, he was portrayed as saint-like, critics said. Moreover, the filmmakers did not explain what exactly he was fighting for and why. And while Chavez and the farm workers were depicted as entirely good, the landowners in the film were depicted as entirely morally bankrupt, critics argued.More »
•Cesar Chavez Quotes
What better way to learn about Cesar Chavez than to hear his views directly on issues such as organizing, poverty, his opposition and how giving workers the ability to unionize leads to social justice? “Our cause, our strike against table grapes, and our international boycott are all founded upon our deep conviction that the form of collective self-help which is unionization holds far more hope for the farm worker than any other single approach, whether public or private,” Chavez saidMore »
Wrapping Up
With schools, streets, parks and state holidays named after him, Cesar Chavez will long be remembered. Reading his quotes and understanding what he fought for are just a few ways to recognize why his contributions to society have endured.
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