Cesar Chavez

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Cesar Chavez bigraphy, stories - farm worker, labor leader, and activist

Cesar Chavez : biography

March 31, 1927 – April 23, 1993

Cesar Chavez (born César Estrada Chávez, ; March 31, 1927April 23, 1993) was an American farm worker, labor leader and civil rights activist, who, with Dolores Huerta, co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (later the United Farm Workers union, UFW).

A Mexican American, Chavez became the best known Latino American civil rights activist, and was strongly promoted by the American labor movement, which was eager to enroll Hispanic members. His public-relations approach to unionism and aggressive but nonviolent tactics made the farm workers’ struggle a moral cause with nationwide support. By the late 1970s, his tactics had forced growers to recognize the UFW as the bargaining agent for 50,000 field workers in California and Florida. However, by the mid-1980s membership in the UFW had dwindled to around 15,000.http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/june-22-2012/united-farm-workers-50th-anniversary/11407/

After his death he became a major historical icon for the Latino community, organized labor, and liberal movement, symbolizing support for workers and for Hispanic power based on grass roots organizing and his slogan "Sí, se puede" (Spanish for "Yes, one can" or, roughly, "Yes, it can be done"). His supporters say his work led to numerous improvements for union laborers. His birthday, March 31, has become Cesar Chavez Day, a state holiday in California, Colorado, and Texas.

Death

Chavez died on April 23, 1993, of unspecified natural causes in a rental apartment in San Luis, Arizona. Shortly after his death, his widow, Helen Chavez, donated his black nylon union jacket to the National Museum of American History, a branch of the Smithsonian.

Chavez is buried at the National Chavez Center, on the headquarters campus of the United Farm Workers of America (UFW), at 29700 Woodford-Tehachapi Road in the Keene community of unincorporated Kern County, California., National Chávez Center, Accessed August 8, 2009.

Timeline

ImageSize = width:750 height:700 PlotArea = left:50 right:0 bottom:10 top:10

DateFormat = yyyy Period = from:1927 till:1996 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical order:reverse ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:3 start:1927 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:1927

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color:red mark:(line, pink) align:left fontsize:M shift:(25,0) # shift text to right side of bar at:1927 text:March 31, César Estrada Chávez born near Yuma, Arizona. at:1942 text:Chavez begins as a farmworker at:1944 text:Chavez begins his military service in the US Navy, which lasts 2 years. at:1946 text:Chavez joins the National Agricultural Workers Union, his first. at:1948 text:Chavez and his family join the National Farm Workers Labor Union. at:1952 text:Chavez is recruited for Saul Alinsky's Community Service Organization,~ an activist group that fought racial and economic discrimination against Chicano residents. from:1958 till:1959 text:Chavez organizes strikes, marches, and a boycott of merchants~ in Oxnard to protest local unemployment. at:1962 text:Chavez leaves The CSO and moves to Delano where he founds the Farm Workers Association. at:1965 text: The NFWA and Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee start the grape boycott. at:1966 text:In March, Chavez marches with 75 others from Delano to the capital, Sacramento, 340 miles at:1968 text:In February, Chavez begins his historic 25 day fast. at:1969 text:UFW declares National Grape Boycott Day. at:1970 text:In December, Chavez is imprisoned for challenging injunction against the boycott. at:1973 text:UFW celebrates first convention in Fresno. at:1975 text:California Supreme Court declares the short-handled hoe an Unsafe Hand Tool thus banned by California law at:1977 text:An agreement was reached that gave the UFW the sole right to organize farm workers. at:1984 text:Chavez announces a new grape boycott, this time focused on pesticides. at:1988 text:Chavez fasts for 36 days to protest pesticide use at:1993 text:April 23, after a fast of several days, Chavez dies in his sleep of unknown cause. at:1994 text:Chavez posthumously receives the US Medal of Freedom from President Clinton. at:1996 text:Made a memorial of his history.