Cesar E. Chavez

Cesar E. Chavez championed the rights of farm laborers, giving rise to the movement that founded the powerful United Farm Workers Union.

Born in Arizona in 1927, Chavez became a migrant worker after eighth grade to help support his family. In 1945, he joined the Navy and served in the Western Pacific during World War II. He settled in Delano following his discharge, working in the vineyards.

He later began working as a labor organizer and in 1962 co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, later to become United Farm Workers of America.

The UFW was the first successful farm workers’ union committed to creating better working and living conditions. The union organized peaceful strikes and boycotts, drawing attention to issues ranging from fair wages to the use of toxic pesticides.

These efforts led to industry-wide labor contracts and groundbreaking legislation, including the 1975 California Agricultural Labor Relations Act, protecting farm workers’ right to unionize.

Chavez died in 1993, at the age 66. The following year, the Chavez family accepted on his behalf the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, from President Bill Clinton. In 2004, the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation established the National Chavez Center at Keene as a living memorial dedicated to the advancement of the legacy of Cesar Chavez.