Who Was Cesar Chavez?

By (author) Rau, Dana Meachen; By (author) Who HQ; Illustrated by Hammond, Ted
Description
Learn more about Cesar Chavez, the famous Latino American civil rights activist.

When he was young, Cesar and his Mexican American family toiled in the fields as migrant farm workers. He knew all too well the hardships farm workers faced. His public-relations approach to unionism and aggressive but nonviolent tactics made the farm workers'' struggle a moral cause with nationwide support. Along with Dolores Huerta, he cofounded the National Farmworkers Association. His dedication to his work earned him numerous friends and supporters, including Robert Kennedy and Jesse Jackson.
Biographical note
Dana Meachen Rau has written more than 300 books for children, including picture books, early readers, nonfiction, and biographies.
Promotional headline
Learn more about Cesar Chavez, the famous Latino American civil rights activist.
Excerpt
Who Was Cesar Chavez?
 
 
The old theater in Fresno, California, was buzzing with people. A crowd of farmworkers and their families had gathered there for the first meeting of the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA). Cesar Chavez stood on the stage. He was shy, and not a strong public speaker. But his warm smile and friendly manner drew people in to listen. He had started this union—a group organized to protect workers’ rights—to help thousands of farmworkers, including many Mexican Americans, who lived in poverty and were treated unfairly in their jobs.
 
This day, September 30, 1962, marked the beginning of more than just the farmworkers’ union. It was the start of a movement—a group of people working together to share an idea and bring about change. Cesar had once worked in the fields himself. He had watched his own family, and many others, suffer to earn enough money to survive. He had a vision for a brighter future for all farmworkers.
 
Many things were decided at the NFWA’s first large meeting. Officers were elected and future plans were discussed. Union members unveiled their flag—a black eagle in a white circle on a red background. The colors had meaning: black for the hard life of the workers, red for the sacrifices they needed to make, and white for hope.
 
At the meeting, they also agreed on their motto: Viva La Causa! (say: VEE-va la COW-sa) Long Live the Cause!
 
Cesar had worked hard to get the union started, and there was still a long battle ahead. But he was a determined man. He believed in hard work. He believed in sacrificing time and money to help others. He believed in protesting peacefully instead of using violence.
 
Cesar led a movement that brought major changes to the lives of farmworkers. He also changed the way Mexican Americans were viewed in America. With Cesar’s guidance, they came together. They demanded attention. America could no longer ignore them.
 
 
Chapter 1: The Arizona Ranch
 
 
Cesario Estrada Chavez was born on March 31, 1927. His family lived outside the town of Yuma in the Arizona desert. Mama Tella and Papa Chayo, Cesar’s grandparents, had come to the United States from Mexico. They had settled near Yuma in the late eighteen hundreds, bought land, and started a ranch. Papa Chayo died before Cesar was born, but his grandmother still lived in the main adobe house. Cesar, his parents, Librado and Juana, and his brothers and sisters, lived on the ranch, too.
 
Cesar was the second of six children—older sister, Rita, and younger siblings Richard, Helena, Vicky, and Lenny. Sadly, Helena died when she was just a baby. At first, the family lived in a room off the main house. They owned only a few pieces of furniture. They had no electricity or running water. When their roof started leaking, the family moved into a cottage on the large