Cesar Chavez Biography

Cesar Chavez Born March 31, 1927 in Yuma, Arizona, United States of America to Librado Chavez and Juan Estrad. Born American with a Hispanic American ethnicity raised in a poor family, one of 4 kids who in 1937 lost their farm during the depression to foreclosure Cesar was then forced to be a migrant farm laborer at ten years old. His family then moved California where they made a living picking tomatoes, lettuce, and other crops. Cesar worked with his family in the fields, he barley went to school because his family moved so often Cesar only made it through the 8th grade and attended over 36 different schools. Chavez also served 2 years (1944-45) in the pacific with the navy during World War II. 1948 Cesar married Helen Fabela who had 8 kids together. In 1952 Fred Cross who would soon become a good and lifelong friend to Chavez recruited him to help the community service organization (CSO), a Mexican-American civil rights group. Chavez became executive director in 1959. In 1962 the CSO rejected Chavez's suggestion to begin organizing farm workers; he then quit his post and formed his own union National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) in Delano, California. Cesar went across the country recruiting farmers to join his organization, in 1965 the union had it's first strike 85 rose growers won larger salaries in a 3 day walkout. In September of 1965 44 grape pickers’ salaries were reduced from $1.40 to $1.00 an hour; an epic strike began, Chavez managed to keep the strike peaceful even after being physically abused and threatened. This strike made national news. Cesar Chavez rose to the occasion in all of these big controversies by coming at it in a peaceful way mocking the acts of Gandhi. Such as in January 1968 Chavez enforced a courageous boycott of all California grapes this became the most prolonged and successful boycott in American history! This brought publicity to the poor employment by grape owners, removing all California grapes from stores in most major cities. On July 29th 1970 grape owners agreed to a contract by this time Cesar was world famous, being the topic of a few Time Magazines. This movement frustrated grape owners who organized break ins at UFW offices, Chavez survived 2 assassination attempts. In 1975 the California legislature passed the Agriculture Labor Relations Act, a state law giving farmers the right to unionize. Cesar sustained his peaceful marches and boycotts throughout the 1970's and 80's, and persisted to fight against grower’s use of pesticide, they were believed to cause illness in many workers. In the year of 1993 Chavez traveled to Arizona to help the union in a lawsuit filed by lettuce conglomerate Bruce Church incorporated, who claimed to have lost millions of dollars to the unions boycotts. After returning from court that evening Chavez died in his sleep with a book in his hands. Cesar was buried at UFW headquarters in Keene California. Arturo Rodriguez, his son in law became the new president of the UFW.