Today marks what would have been César Chávez’s 84th birthday. Chávez was born in 1927 to Mexican American farmers in Arizona. Here he is, right, at age six with his sister:
When he was about 11, his family lost their farm in the Great Depression and they turned to migrant farm work. In 1962 he and Dolores Huerta founded the National Farm Workers Association (later the United Farm Workers). His success in organizing farm workers, raising awareness of the conditions of their work, and raising support for their cause is one of the most inspiring stories of collective action in American history. Read more about Chávez here.
Lisa Wade, PhD is an Associate Professor at Tulane University. She is the author of American Hookup, a book about college sexual culture; a textbook about gender; and a forthcoming introductory text: Terrible Magnificent Sociology. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Comments 4
In solidarity | Rain Blissed — March 31, 2011
[...] am so grateful that the folks at Sociological Images posted this excellent photo collection in his honor [...]
César Chávez and Migrant Farmworker Rights » Sociological Images « Sociology of Family and Intimate Relationships — March 31, 2011
[...] César Chávez and Migrant Farmworker Rights » Sociological Images. [...]
Ramona — April 1, 2011
The caption on the first photo is incorrect. Chavez doesn't appear to be in that photo, the man in the center is Luis Valdez, founder of El Teatro Campesino. Though it was a large part of the Farm Workers' Movement and Chavez gave his full moral support to El Teatro, Chavez was not directly involved in El Teatro Campesino and it's false to say it was "his" theatre troupe.
Alex — November 4, 2011
When discussing Chavez and the UFW, please also remember that their success was inspired by the activism of Filipino migrants who had to pressure Chavez into action: http://youtu.be/bs6s1XVm83A