Cesar Chavez

             I am going to talk about Cesar Estrada Chavez and his achievements as a labor leader. Cesar Chavez was born on March 21, 1927 near Yuma, Arizona. Chavez" grandparents farmed more than one hundred acres in the Gila valley and raised 14 children. Chavez began school at the age of seven, but he found it difficult because his family only spoke Spanish. Chavez learned many things from his mother. She believed violence and selfishness were wrong and she taught this idea to her children. In the 1930's, Chavez" father lost his business because of the Great Depression, and the family moved back to the ranch. In 1937 a severe drought forced the family to give up the ranch. So his family moved to California to search for new work. In California, the Chavez family became part of the migrant community, traveling from farm to farm to pick fruits and vegetables during the harvest. They lived in several migrant camps and often were forced to sleep in their car. Chavez attended more than 30 elementary schools. Chavez often encountered cruel discrimination while attending these schools. He felt that education had nothing to do with his farm worker/migrant way of life. Once he finished 8th grade he quit school and worked full-time in the vineyards. He did this because he did not want his mother to work in the fields. While his childhood education was not the best, later in life, education was his passion. Then in 1944 he joined the Navy and served in World War II. After his two year duty was done in the military he returned to California and got married to Helen Fabela in 1948. They settled in Delano and started their family. Cesar and his wife Helen had eight children. Chavez again worked in the fields, but he began to fight for a change. That same year he took part in his first strike in protest of low wages and poor working conditions. After several days of protest the workers were forced back to the fields.