Cesar Chavez

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Cesar Chavez Since before the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, race relations between the United States and Mexico have been less than great. The United States has a history of prejudice and racism. On a national level this sentiment has formed some legislation, and on a lower level it has formed the way many people conduct their lives. Mexican have been exploited for their work for decades. One man fought long and hard for his people and their civil liberties. That man was Cesar Chavez. Cesar Chavez was born in Yuma, Arizona to a middle-class family. Cesar’s family owned there land and also ran a business. When the depression hit in the1930's, the young Cesar Chavez and his family left to find work in California as farm laborers because they had lost everything that they owned. This period of Cesar’s life was what formed the way that he would look at farm labor. Having never worked in the fields, Cesar quickly realized what it was like to be a farm laborer. Cesar was born into a politically active family. Cesar’s father was very active in his community in Yuma, Arizona. While working as a farm laborer, Cesar’s father joined many labor unions. In 1952, Cesar found a job as a volunteer in the Community Service Organization (CSO). As a volunteer he would register voters by going door to door. Shortly after he started the volunteer work Cesar was made chairman of the registration drive. During the mid 1950's Cesar became a full time organizer for the CSO, and recieved 35 dollars a week for his work. He was assigned to a voter registration drive in DeCoto, a town in Alameda county. This drive was very successful. The CSO made Cesar a statewide organizer. As an organizer for the CSO, Cesar fought the fa... ... middle of paper ... ...ality for the disenfranchised. Not often does a man or woman, come along that is as charismatic, peaceful, relentless and pure as Cesar Chavez was. If perhaps one day, all people could see what he saw and feel what he felt, perhaps we would all be better off. In 1993, Cesar Chavez, still hard at work with the duties of the UFW, is recorded to have died in his sleep with a smile on his face. He was 66 years old. Today, the UFW continues to exist and continues to fight for the rights of the farm workers. Currently, the UFW is facing off with U.S. senators Gordon H. Smith (R-Ore). and Bob Graham (D-Fla). Who want to propose a bill that will import more farm workers from outside the country. The UFW strongly feels that like other guest worker plans, the rights of these farm workers will be respected and won’t be protected, similar to the Bracero Program.

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