6th Grade Culture Project

1. César Chavéz:  Labor unionist (1927-1993) The grandson of a runaway Mexican slave, César Estrada Chavéz was born in Yuma, Arizona.  During the Depression, the Chavéz family lost their farm and most of their belongings.  They became migrant workers who followed the harvests in California to find work.  When César completed eighth grade, he worked in the fields.  He asked for safer working conditions but was ignored.  César began speaking to migrant workers about their rights.   He organized a union called the United Farm Workers of America. The farm workers denied their requests for raises and safer working environment, so the union organized peaceful strikes and grape boycott that quickly spread across America.  The farm owners lost millions of dollars as more people learned how the migrant workers were being mistreated.  Soon the laws began to change.  César and the other strikers suffered many hardships but did not abandon their convictions.  Mexico awarded César their highest civilian honor, the Aguila Azteca award, and he received a U. S. Medal of Freedom.  Marsh, Carole, The Best Book of Hispanic Biographies.,Galopade Interational:  2003 p.6.

Helpful sites:

http://www.incwell.com/Biographies/Chavez.html

http://www.ufw.org/cecstory.htm

http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/aa/chavez

http://www.chavezfoundation.org/Default.aspx?pi=33