Hunter Crandell
What Made Cesar Chavez an Effective Leader?
Cesar Chavez passed away on April 23, 1993, in San Luis, a small village near Yuma, Arizona. In his Lifetime he founded a union, and spread justice and equality wherever he went. He has become an iconic symbol still often seen today. He chose to fight his battles using non-violence and understood “Non-violence is not inaction. It is not discussion. It is not for the timid or weak… Non-violence is hard work. It is the willingness to sacrifice. It is the patience to win.” -Cesar Chavez. His philosophy was "The end of all education should surely be service to others"-Cesar Chavez. He read famous works on economics, philosophy, unions, biographies, and cooperatives. He was anxious to help others, he was patient, observant, and had the knowledge to know when to strike and how. He failed many times but never gave up. Making him a great leader.
Born on March 31, Cesar Chavez takes his first look at life. As he developed he faced many hardships. His family’s house was cheated from them by an untrustworthy lawyer who advised Cesar Chavez's father, Librado Chávez, to take out a loan and buy some land. When Librado Chavez couldn't pay the interest, the lawyer bought the land and sold it back to its original owner. They lost their farm and store in 1937. Cesar was only 10 years old when he was forced to move. He lived in poverty as a child. Cesar moved from place to place, farm to farm eventually attending thirty-eight different schools. Cesar gave up with school, only achieving an eighth grade education.
Cesar and his family had to become farm workers. Being a farm worker meant hard work. The farm workers would have to pick fruits and vegetables for long hours, earning very little for it. They were
Paid fifty cents for every basket they picked. Sometimes they were paid only twenty cents, varying depending on who they worked for. Farm workers often were mistreated by their social superiors. Sometimes their supervisors would cheat them out of their hard earned money and leave. Some overseers even charged them for the water they drank while working. There were few restrooms and not much water; neither of these was known to be very sanitary either. César’s family didn’t have much money and many times had to go without food. He was a child during the Great Depression, a period in the late 1920s- 1930s when the U.S. suffered from a slow economy and widespread unemployment. Most farm workers lived in run down shacks or in their vehicles.
Transportation was oftentimes needed but couldn’t be found. But Cesar and his sister would help to the best of their ability. They would drive co-workers and neighbors, free of charge, to destinations they couldn’t reach otherwise. At times Cesar and his sister would drive people to the hospital, saving a job, or making ones life easier to handle. Juana Estrada, Césars mother, was known to be deeply religious; this had a very large effect on Cesar. His mothers kindness and desire to help others is what made Cesar who he was, giving him a pacifistic quality that tremendously promoted him in his drive to help others. “You always have to help the needy, and God will help you.” –Juan Estrada.
Prejudice and segregation was another obstacle that César and a multitude of others had to deal with. Chavez got the idea for nonviolent actions from Martin Luther King Jr. who also dealt with prejudice and segregation. Spanish was forbidden in some schools punishable with a ruler to the knuckles for violating the rule. Many Restaurants refused to serve Mexican and Mexican American races. Cesar remembers whites’ only signs. Theaters forced them to sit in specific sections away from everyone else. Schools were segregated and most children also faced a lot of discrimination. In 1944, when he was seventeen years old, Chávez joined the U.S. Navy; where he still faced discrimination. After serving for two years he returned to California. 1948, he married Helen Fabela
In 1952 he met Fred Ross, the founder of the Community Service Organization (CSO).The CSO also wanted to improve the living conditions of farm workers. Cesar joined the CSO and helped workers with their everyday problems, and helped others to become U.S peoples and encouraged them to vote. He showed people that community leaders respected voters. César worked in many areas of California to help people gain respect and trust. In 1958 Cesar was the California and Arizona general director. Cesar and the CSO began to realize that the farm overseers were illegally transporting illegal immigrants to their farms and having them work for even less than the average farm worker. Cesar wasn’t pleased so he tried to create a union that could help migrant farm workers. After being shot down by the CSO he decided to renounce his position and settle down again in Delano, California. He gave up his money and his home to begin a union to help others.
He wouldn’t take no for an answer, he was determined to help the farm workers and start a union, so the National Farm Worker Association later to become the united farm workers (UFW) was born. But the UFW needed supporters, and finding people who would commit to a union was hard to come by. Chavez was not the first to try and start a union. Others had tried and failed. They would usually just do peaceful protests but would either give up, or resort to violence and only fix the problems for a while. But the abuse of the farm laborers hadn’t really been stopped. The farm supervisors would fire farm workers and raise the farm laborers wages; but only temporarily.
The UFW wanted good drinking water, more bathrooms, and fair and equal pay for a hard days work. They wanted recognition for the hard work and importance of the farm workers. Many people supported the UFW because of its non-violence methods. But it wasn’t enough. It took months of organizing and accumulating supporters. Cesar convinced some non-farm laborer supporters to start working and spreading the word about the UFW. Cesar and his supporters spent hours visiting houses, and distributing surveys to find the opinion of the people.
Cesar knew that he needed a symbol. "A symbol is an important thing. That is why we chose an Aztec eagle. It gives pride . . . When people see it they know it means dignity."-Cesar Chavez. The symbol represented the strength of the union and gave hope and inspiration to the farm workers seeking a better, new future. It gave the union a symbol. And icon to look at and know that they’re part of something much larger than them; but made up of each individual person.
The UFW had grown, and so had the support of the people. In 1965 migrant grape pickers, working for a dollar and hour, went on strike. The grape pickers needed support. But Cesar thought that the UFW was to week and young to help. Other members disagreed and joined the grape pickers, the strike had begun. Cesar, now in full support, worked strenuously. Cesar called a countrywide grape boycott; causing huge national attention. Labor unions began supporting the UFW. He’d gained the favor of some important people; The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, Robert F. Kennedy, and United Auto Workers.
Cesar Chaves had too become a symbol. He was the respected, trusted symbol of the people. He’d grown into a position of power that he intended not to let go to waste. March of 1966 the strikers marched 250 miles from Delano to the capital of Sacramento. They were determined to take their demands to state officials. Before they even reached their destination, one of many grape companies had signed a contract with the workers. The Teamsters Union, a union of truckers, began to compete with the UFW. Chávez combined his organization with part of the AFL-CIO, America's oldest, strongest, secure group of unions. This union was the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee (UFWOC). Since 1972 it’s been known simply as the United Farm Workers (UFW).
In 1968, Chávez began a twenty-five-day fast. His goal was more attention on the grape strike. He believed “a fast is first and foremost personal. It is a fast for the purification of my own body, mind, and soul. The fast is also a heartfelt prayer for purification and strengthening for all those who work beside me in the farm worker movement. The fast is also an act of penance for those in positions of moral authority and for all men and women activists who know what is right and just, who know that they could and should do more.”-Cesar Chavez.
People felt compassion towards Chávez's commitment to the cause and the nonviolent ways Cesar handled his trials and tribulations. He was inspired to fast by M.K. Gandhi of India. The boycott had achieved its ultimate purpose, it cost the companies too much for them to ignore. In June of 1970, vineyard owners gave in to the contract with the UFW, giving workers health insurance and a pay raise.
The competitive Teamsters Union had signed contracts with lettuce growers. The contracts having a negative effect on the farm workers, Chávez organized strikes and rallies and he again made a national boycott; But this time boycotting lettuce. In 1975 the governor of California, Jerry Brown, passed the Agricultural Labor Relations Act. He set in place a bill of rights for farm workers. Allowing them to vote on which union they think would best promote their needs; The UFW beating the Teamsters union.
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