On Cesar Chavez Day, Recognizing Farm Workers | Civil Eats

On Cesar Chavez Day, Recognizing Farm Workers

The legacy of the Mexican-American civil rights activist and labor organizer lives on, though many farm workers today still struggle to attain the most basic rights.

This week, March 31st was the birthday of farm labor organizer Cesar Chavez, celebrated as Cesar Chavez day in eight US states. Most of them mark the occasion with symbolic commemoration, but a few, notably California, have actually made the day into an official holiday. Chavez’s legacy is so important, however, that there’s a movement underway to have the day declared a national holiday.

Chavez (1927–1993), a Mexican-American farm worker and civil rights leader, joined with Dolores Huerta in founding the National Farm Workers Association in 1965, which later became the United Farm Workers of America (UFW). The first successful farm workers’ union in the country, the UFW succeeded in securing some of the nation’s most disadvantaged workers better wages, benefits, working and living conditions and job security. The UFW rallying cry, “Sí, Se Puede!” will strike Obama supporters as familiar: In English, the chant is “Yes, We Can!”

If Chavez Day does become a national holiday, it would be more than just another day off work. This is a day not only to celebrate Chavez’s positive impact on the rights of farm workers, but also to pay attention to the fact that many farm laborers today, lacking the benefit of union protection, still lack the most basic rights. These workers are often cruelly exploited or even kept as slaves, and the fight for their rights is still agonizingly difficult and too frequently disappointing.

There are brave groups doing something about this situation aside from the UFW, which carries on fighting for its members. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers in Immokalee, Florida, is organizing a three-day, 25-mile Farmworker Freedom March next month, in which workers will march from Tampa to Lakeland, Florida. The organization is also touring the mobile Florida Modern Slavery Museum around the state to educate people about the fate of modern farm workers.

Additionally, the organization Student Action with Farmworkers has named this Farmworker Awareness Week. So take a moment to think about those who picked the tomatoes in your lunchtime sandwich. And then forward this on to a few others who might appreciate knowing about this too.

newsmatch 2023 banner - donate to support civil eats

Photo: luckywhitegirl

Originally published on Tonic.com

We’ll bring the news to you.

Get the weekly Civil Eats newsletter, delivered to your inbox.

Katherine Gustafson is an award-winning writer, journalist, and editor whose articles, essays, and stories have been published in numerous print and online media, including The Christian Science Monitor, Johns Hopkins Magazine, The Huffington Post, and Best Women’s Travel Writing. Her first book, 'Change Comes to Dinner' -- about good news in sustainable food -- was published in 2012. She lives with her husband and daughter in the Washington, DC, area. Read more >

Like the story?
Join the conversation.

    More from

    Food and Farm Labor

    Featured

    Volunteers from DTE Energy pack prepackaged boxes for delivery to churches and homebound seniors at Focus: HOPE, a local agency located in Detroit, Michigan that operates the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) in a client choice model so that participants can select the foods they want. (Photo credit: Preston Keres, USDA)

    The Government Spends Billions on Food. Who Benefits?

    In this week’s Field Report: A push to improve federal food purchasing heats up, the first food-focused COP kicks off, dust storms accelerate, and new evidence suggests that fair-trade certifications are failing to protect farmworkers.

    Popular

    With Season 2, ‘High on the Hog’ Deepens the Story of the Nation’s Black Food Traditions

    Stephen Satterfield and Jessica B. Harris watching the sunset at the beach, in a still from Netflix's High on the Hog Season 2. (Photo courtesy of Netflix)

    Building a Case for Investment in Regenerative Agriculture on Indigenous Farms

    Jess Brewer gathers livestock at Brewer Ranch on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation. (Photo courtesy of Intertribal Agriculture Council, www.indianag.org)

    Walmart and EDF Forged an Unlikely Partnership. 17 Years Later, What’s Changed?

    Aerial view of cargo containers, semi trailers, industrial warehouse, storage building and loading docks, renewable energy plants, Bavaria, Germany

    Relocalizing the Food System to Fight a ‘Farm-Free Future’