Cesar+Chavez+-+F08

Cesar Chavez

Stand: I am a fighter for labor reform for economic and racial discrimination and conservation of farming land from bad practices. Our way of protest is of non violence through union, strikers, protest, boycotts and fasting. As farmers we want better pay, benefits and living conditions. I am also fighting against child labor as well, who work hard on the farms and live in poor, malnourished conditions. I am fighting for the minority rights especially the Latinos who are related to the farming issues that I am also fighting for. The Mexicans have not secured their voting rights and other rights as much in this time. Farmers have a right to form unions even if the employers hate it. The right to union is a big issue for the UFW because if we did not fight for this right we could not get our other points across. That is why I also fight for the right to unionize.

Background and Motivation: My whole life has revolved around farming labor. Born in Yuma, Arizona I was raised as a farm worker. The pay was bad and my family had to migrate around to find work on the fields during the Great Depression. I married a lady I met during working on a vineyard. As a poor farmer never earning more than $6000 a year I have felt the hardships of the poor farmers and am fighting to better their condition. As a farmer i saw the dangers of some agricultural practices like pesticides which have caused health issues for many farmers. I have found that the average life expectancy for farmers are less than half of that of the regular Americans.

Occupation: I used to be a farmer that traveled from field to field with my family just so we could survive. My recent occupation was leader of the Community Service Organization helping to fight discrimination. I am also the founder of the National Farm Workers Association which later became the United Farmers Worker. As a poor farmer I fought for better farmer wages and benefits from the government. The protest and boycotts that have been put up through a farmers union under my organization led to the passage of the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act. It is the only act to protect farmer unions.

Resource: A resource that Cesar Chavez could use is Martin Luther King Jr. who is also fighting for civil rights and African American's right to vote like how Cesar is fighting for Latinos to register to vote. He is also using the same non violent protesting as MLK. Also, Rachel Carson is another resource in her fight for the environment she promoted against the use fo pesticides that would harm the environment which Ceasar also was against, especially the ban of DDT. Joan Baez is another resference as well as she was a non violent human rights reformer as well who worked with Cesar in his farm labor movement with the UFW.

"American Hero." __CESAR E. CHAVEZ FOUNDATION__. 22 Dec. 2008 .

Chavez, Cesar. "César E. Chávez Speeches (CA Dept of Education)." __Cesar E. Chavez Speeches (CA Dept of Education)__. 2008. California Department of Education. 22 Dec. 2008 . *

"CESAR E. CHAVEZ." __CLNet__. 22 Dec. 2008 .

Chavez, Ceser. "Address by Cesar Chavez." San Franciso, California. 9 Nov. 1984. __Northern University Illinois__. 22 Dec. 2008 <[|http://www3.niu.edu/~td0raf1/history468/Cesar%20Chavez%201984.htm]>. *