Latin Americans Case

Latin Americans 1968 -1980

Jose Salmeron

History/145

10/14/2013

Mellissa Wood

Latina Americans 1968-1980

Cesar Chavez is the first person who comes to mind when thinking of Latin Americans from 1968 to 1980. Many people seem to forget about Cesar Chavez due to the fact of other great civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X. Cesar Chaves was the Martin Luther King of the Latin community in the United States. Cesar Chavez was born in Yuma Arizona he was the founder of the United Farm Workers Union, and because of his nonviolent approach he was able to change many work conditions for farm workers of his time and present time. Many people seem to be live he was from Mexico but what made Cesar Chavez such an icon was because he was born in the United States and many Mexican American (Chicanos) people like myself are able to relate to Cesar Chavez.

Cesar Chavez was born on March 31, 1927 in Yuma Arizona in a family of six, he had two brothers and two sisters. Cesar Chavez grew up in a small adobe home the same in which he was born in. Cesar was named after his grandfather Cesario. After the Chavez family lost their small grocery store and ranch during the great depression they moved to Delano California and became migrant workers. In 1942 he quit school only after the 7th grade and in 1944 he joined the United States Navy and served for two years. Shortly after returning home he married Helen Fabela and moved to San Jose California and had eight children. Chavez worked in the fields until 1952 when he became the organizer for the community service organization, a Latin civil rights group.

Chavez civil rights career began when he joined the Community Service Organization and trained by Fred Ross. The first issue the group rallied on first was police brutality. Chavez later traveled through California urging Mexican Americans to register to vote. He then began giving speeches on behalf of workers' rights. In 1962 he left the CSO and founded the United Farm Workers Union. Cesar Chavez nonviolent approach was closely compared to those of Martin Luther King JR. and of Gandhi. This nonviolent approach help Cesar Chavez and the union to accomplish many things for farm workers of America.

During the time after the United Farm workers union was formed many work conditions started to change for the farm workers of America. On September 8, 1965 the national grape boycott began in Delano California.