Cesar Chavez National Monument, La Paz, California
A Visit to The Cesar Chavez National Monument:
Children who attend schools in California ( and probably other states in the USA) are taught about the history of farm workers. A big name in this chapter of history is Cesar Chavez. He is considered the most important Latino American Leader of the 20th century.
He was born in Arizona in 1927. His parents were immigrants from Mexico and owned a farm until the Great Depression. Having lost it all they moved along with several other migrant workers to look for jobs in California. Cesar quit school after eighth grade and briefly served in the US Navy before returning to work in the fields. It was here that he met his future wife Helen who played an important role in his entire life as an activist.
He began as a farm laborer and saw their poor working conditions. The entire system( employers and government) was blind to their misery. These people who toiled day and night so rest of the country could have food on their table often went to bed hungry because their wages didn’t allow them to have proper three meals a day. Their young kids were forced to start working from an early age. Their dwellings were far from comfortable or secure. They had no access to good water, leave alone healthcare. They were mistreated and ignored. It was a pitiful sight and no one to talk to. In his words "When the man who feeds the world by toiling in the fields is himself deprived of the basic rights of feeding, sheltering, and caring for his own family, the whole community of man is sick."
In the 1950s and early 1960s Cesar worked as a community organizer. He met fellow activists Dolores Huerta, Gilbert Padillo and others. More about Dolores Huerta another time. After 10 years of close observation of the situation he decided to quit his secure job to form the Union he had dreamed of. National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) was formed and later renamed as United Farm Workers (UFW) in 1966.
About 40 miles north of Bakersfield is the town of Delano. It is a farming town near the north limits of Kern County. This city has a large population of immigrants from the Philippines. In 1965 the Filipino American grape workers under the leadership of Larry Itliong striked against growers. Other unions including NFWA joined them. The striking workers marched from Delano to Sacramento and did a consumer boycott. This was a landmark event that led to the nation’s first union contracts between farm workers and growers. They were able to get several of their demands approved such as better protection from pesticides, safer working conditions, secure pay, health care benefits.
All this was possible from collaborative efforts from various groups of farm workers. In the initial period there were issues of trust between two laborer communities. The largest were the Latino and the Filipino communities. To overcome these issues of trust, Cesar Chavez took the initiative for both communities to meet regularly for social events. They shared their food and music and gradually became closer to each other and realized they had common goals to achieve.
During the strikes and activities of the UFW there were incidents when the growers and their supporters or hired men attacked or fired upon the striking workers. As a result some of the young men from the laborer group were becoming impatient and wanted to strike back violently at the growers.
Cesar Chavez might have quit school early but he never stopped learning. His catholic religion was his guiding light throughout life. He kept himself informed about what was happening around the world. Mahatma Gandhi’s leadership in India was a big inspiration for him. After the success of the 1965 Delano Grape Strike he continued his activism to improve the lives of laborers. Non violence was the core principle behind all his strategies to resist unfair practices prevalent in those days. Marches, strikes, boycotts, education and even hunger fasts were what he did to get results. He started fasting as a penitance for the violent tendencies of the youth in his union. He had no food, just water for 25 days in 1968. If you really want to do something be willing to die for it , he said at the time, quoting Gandhi on many occasions. He led by example. Another 36 days fast in 1972 and his unrelenting efforts to do it the right way led to many successes for the workers. The one that is considered his greatest achievements is California’s Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975. This was the first law in the state that recognized the collective bargaining rights for farm workers.
Cesar Chavez spent his lifetime for the equality, justice and dignity for all Americans. He was a man with a vision and a man of principles. During his lifetime the UFW acquired a piece of land nestled in the hills near Keene, California. This is named La Paz. The County of Kern was in no mood to have them there. With the help of some sympathizers and supporters from Hollywood, Cesar Chavez managed to secure this place to conduct training, meetings and so many activities that had spread wings under the UFW. La Paz became the official headquarters of the UFW in 1972. From here Chavez continued to work until his death. That was April 23,1993. He was 66 when he died. Next Friday will be 29 years since his passing. He is buried at this place where not only did he conduct the UFW work but also raised his kids and saw them get married. A wonderful memorial garden is created at and around the burial site.
His wife Helen Chavez passed away in 2016 and is buried next to him. Their two dogs were buried near by before both Cesar and Helen’s passing. They are survived by their eight children and several grandchildren who manage the Cesar Chavez Foundation and are devoted to keeping the legacy of their parents alive.
In 2012, during the Presidency of Barack Obama, La Paz where the Cesar Chavez Memorial stood was proclaimed as a National Monument and is now operated by the National Park Service and the National Chavez Center. There is a well kept Visitor Center with some fascinating exhibits that shed light not just on the farm workers movement but also the man that Cesar Chavez was. There is a small theater within the Visitor Center where they show a video about how this place came to exist. A small gift shop has some souvenirs and interesting books from several authors about Cesar Chavez.
When we were there yesterday the actual residence of the Chavez family was not open for visitors as it is being remodeled. The retreat facility on the premises was also closed on weekends. We walked around, enjoyed the beautiful garden, took some pictures at the property and reflected on the life and legacy of this great American leader before driving on to Tehachapi while stopping to see the Tehachapi Loop on the way.
I wrote about the Tehachapi Loop in the previous post earlier today. I had the same red Bawan Buti saree on the whole time yesterday. But I am sharing my picture in a different saree with this post. It is a humble cotton Narayanpeth saree that I have probably repeated more recently. It is very comfortable to wear at home while cooking and doing other chores as well as spending time to read and write. I wear it to work too.
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