Gratitude Monday: ¡Viva César!

Another point of gratitude today—it’s César Chávez day here in California, and though he died more than 20 years ago, I am still deeply grateful for the man and his work.

Chávez is largely responsible for publicizing the idea that the men, women and children who harvest our crops deserve basic human and humane conditions. Like potable water, and toilet facilities, and a pesticide-free environment. Oh—and a living wage. How’s that for radical?

But it was, when he began organizing what became the United Farm Workers (UFW) in the 1960s here in California. Field workers—mostly Latinos, and migrants—were completely at the mercy (of which there was little) of the large agribusiness concerns. Chávez and the UFW changed that by, among other non-violent strategies, successfully calling for consumer boycotts of both lettuce and grapes—enormous moneyspinners for the big farms.

Things aren’t really a paradise here in the fields; but they are so very much better because César Chávez spoke up for the notion that the people who bring in the crops are, in fact, human.

I’m grateful for his courage, and I’m glad that California recognizes it and celebrates his birthday officially.