Cesar Chavez Cesar Chavez dedicated his life t

Cesar Chavez dedicated his life to a labor movement for farm workers. His unique background, his first-hand knowledge of the people's issues, and his superior organizational skills brought his successful organization of the National Farm Workers Association (later named United Farm Workers), even against opposition from the government, the Teamsters Union, and the grape growers. It is the purpose of this paper to describe his background, the nature of his superior organizing ability, and the sociological forces that shaped the Chavez farm workers' movement.

Until he was ten years old, Cesar Chavez, the oldest of five children, lived on a farm near Yuma, Arizona. The 160 acres had come into his family through a government grant to his grandfather when land was awarded to those who would homestead it (Terzian 2). Chavez' father was a dirt farmer, and Chavez was reared in a lifestyle that was close to the earth. The activities of the family revolved around planting, harvesting, and selling, and Chavez actively worked in the family's farming and marketing concerns.

As a boy he saw migrant families come and go. He worked alongside the children of the migrants and played with them at the end of each day's picking. He observed how humanely his father treated the migrant families, always paying in cash at the end of the day from money saved during the winter. He provided food, comfortable shelter, showering facilities and fresh soap for the migrant families. Chavez' fa

Related Essays

Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King, Jr. .... .... march on Sacramento led to the backing down of .... that, "the United Farm Workers are dedicated to carrying .... the farm workers strike led by Cesar Chavez in 1965 .... (1046 4 )

Education As A Business Concept .... She is supportive, committed, and dedicated to education .... for the second year at Cesar Chavez Science Magnet .... view can challenge her or .... initial understanding .... (9190 37 )

ned and then the leader steps back so that new leaders may achieve their full potential (Huerta 4). Ross' guidance and support were instrumental in Chavez becoming a leader of the farm labor movement. Without the insightful instruction of this patient man, Chavez would possibly not have pursued activism that did not seem appropriate to his uneducated, lower class minority background. Initially he needed much reassurance that he could speak to groups and that the groups would listen. Both Bull (32) and Huerta (3) describe Chavez as a soft-spoken, self-effacing person. He did not initially see himself as a natural leader, and only with patient work with Ross became a charismatic speaker and leader. Huerta, who later became vice president of the farm workers' union, called him a genius and a taskmaster. He would work very long hours six days a week and expected everyone else to do so as well. At one time Chavez met with Peter Drucker to further refine his leadership skills (Huerta 6). Huerta recalls that Cesar refused outside donations to his organization because of his belief that "whoever is paying the bills will determine what will happen in the organization" (3). On one serious occasion early in the organization of th

Category: People - C