F515e317 ca8c 422e 8dca daeaca2d5161

Caesar Chavez

By AGED 3033

  • Birth

    Birth
    Born in Yuma, Arizona on March 31,1927

  • Early life

    Early life
    Late 1930s moved to California during the Great Depression and became a migrant farm worker. 1946 joined US navy in segregated unit and married Helen Fabela.

  • CSO

    CSO
    Became a grassroots organizer for the Community Service Organization, a Latino civil rights group. He worked to register new voters and to fight racial and economic discrimination and soon became the CSO national director

  • Resigned CSO

    Resigned CSO
    He resigned CSO after other members refused to support his efforts to form a labor union for farm workers

  • NFWA

    NFWA
    He used his life savings to found the National Farm Workers Association in Delano, California. He was inspired by the nonviolent civil disobedience by Gandhi to start a publicized 25- day hunger strike in 1968.

  • NFWA strike

    NFWA strike
    The NFWA striked against California’s grape growers alongside the Agricultural Workers Organizing Commitee(AWOC). The strike lasted 5 years and led into a nationwide boycott of California grapes. It ended in 1970 with farm workers agreeing with major grape growers that increased the workers pay and gave them the right to unionize.

  • NWFA and AWOC merged

    NWFA and AWOC merged
    NWFA and AWOC merged in 1966 to form the United Farm Workers organizing Committee and in 1971 it became the United Farm Workers of America

  • Second hunger strike

    Second hunger strike
    He went on his second hunger strike to protest an Arizona law banning farm workers from organizing and protesting. In 1988 at 61 years old he went on his third hunger strike for 36 days.

  • Agricultural Labor Relations Act

    Agricultural Labor Relations Act
    Thanks to the efforts of the UFW California passed the landmark Agricultural Labor Relations Act which gave all farm workers the right to unionize and negotiate for better wages and working conditions.

  • Focused efforts

    Focused efforts
    Mid 1980s he focused UFWs efforts on a campaign to highlight the dangers of pesticides for farm workers and their children

  • End of life

    End of life
    April 23, 1993 age 66 died in his sleep. In 1994 Bill Clinton awarded him a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom the nations highest civilian award.