Vivika Gonzalez English 1ADawn TrookJanuary 23,2018 Cesar Chavez Eulogy Cesar dedicated his life to improving the work life of farmers. He founded the National Farm Workers Association in 1962, it later became known as the United Farm Workers. Cesar called for boycotts, led marches, and participated in multiple hunger strikes. He also nationally spred the dangers of pesticides.
His hard work and determination earned him supporters and friends, including Robert Kennedy and Jesse Jackson. Cesar having known the mistreatment of working in the fields, wanted to make a change. Coming from an immigrant family, he often was subjected to low pay,racism and horrible working conditions. He wanted no-one else to go through that. He wanted a change. He not only wanted a change but he worked long,and hard to get that change. A major point in Chavez’s life was September of 1965 when he joined in on a strike started by filipino farm workers who worked on Delanos grape field. With that strike alone he and his organization gained national awareness.
Chavez’s persistence of nonviolence, trust in volunteers, and his mass mobilization skills led to national awareness to not only his grape strike but also the consumer boycott. In 1969 Chavez did big things. He went on a successful hunger strike of 25 days. This strike was to advocate about the violence within the vineyards. Once again his determination won and led to 26 grape growers to formally signed contracts recognizing the UFW (United Farm Workers) thus bringing peace between both workers and growers.
Yes while Cesar may have had a lot of success he also had setbacks. So, in the same year where he made several steps forward he took steps back when the Teamsters Union signed ‘sweetheart’ contracts. Sweetheart contracts are terms and conditions that favor the management and not the workers. Signing these created struggle that lasted four years.
