Cesar Chavez was a Mexican American farm worker, labor leader, and civil rights activist who co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) in 1962. Born on March 31, 1927 in Yuma, Arizona, Chavez was the second of five children born to Librado and Juana Estrada Chavez. His parents were migrant farm workers who traveled from Arizona to California in search of work.
As a child, Chavez experienced firsthand the harsh realities of migrant farm work. He and his family lived in poor, cramped housing, and often went without enough food or clean drinking water. Despite these difficult circumstances, Chavez excelled in school and was an avid reader. He was also involved in sports and other extracurricular activities, and graduated from high school in 1944.
After high school, Chavez joined the Navy and served for two years. When he returned home, he married Helen Fabela and the couple had eight children together. In 1952, they moved to San Jose, California, where Chavez worked as a community organizer and helped to establish the Community Service Organization (CSO), a group that worked to improve the lives of Mexican Americans.
In 1962, Chavez co-founded the NFWA, an organization that fought for the rights of farm workers. At the time, farm workers were often paid very low wages and were subjected to unsafe working conditions. They also had few legal protections and were often mistreated by their employers. The NFWA worked to improve these conditions through a variety of tactics, including strikes, boycotts, and lobbying efforts.
One of the most famous campaigns led by the NFWA was the Delano grape strike, which began in 1965. The strike was a protest against the low wages and poor working conditions of grape pickers in Delano, California. The strike quickly gained national attention and was supported by many celebrities and politicians. After five years of protests and negotiations, the strike ended in 1970 with a contract that granted farm workers improved wages and working conditions.
Throughout his career, Chavez was known for his non-violent approach to activism and his belief in the power of organized, collective action. He was also deeply committed to social justice and worked to improve the lives of not just farm workers, but also other marginalized groups, such as immigrants and people of color.
Chavez died on April 23, 1993, at the age of 66. He is remembered as a hero and a pioneer in the labor and civil rights movements. His legacy lives on through the work of the United Farm Workers (UFW), the union that he co-founded and led for many years. Today, the UFW continues to fight for the rights of farm workers and is one of the most powerful and influential labor unions in the United States.
