Ceasar Chavez Day?

Caesar Chavez was irrefutably a great man who fought diligently for agricultural workers rights. Growing up I was taught that he lead the first successful agricultural workers strike in California, in addition to forming the National Farm Workers Association which later became the United Farm Workers of America, after The famous Delano grape strike which he lead. If all this were true then I would believe that he deserved to be celebrated with a holiday. Knowing these credits are either false or distortions of the truth leads me to ask why does Cesar Chavez get all the credit, thus creating a solely Latino holiday, Filipinos were the first to successfully strike, a Filipino man lead the Delano Grape Strike, and the United Farm Workers of America came about after a merger of the Agricultural Workers organizing committee and the National Farm Workers Association.

The first successful agricultural strike occurred in 1939, twenty four years before the 1965 Delano Grape Strike. The strike was organized by Dr. Macario Bautista and Francisco Varona. These two Men Created the Filipino Agricultural Labor Association. On April 7, 1939 thousands of asparagus workers went on strike earning themselves a wage increase. This may not have been a very large victory; however, it is a victory nonetheless, and the first victory as well. No credit was given to their foresight and initiative while I learned about Cesar Chavez and the labor movement.

It can be argued that though not the first, the Delano Grape Strike was the first major Victory for the Labor movement, and this is why Cesar Chavez deserves to be celebrated. In school I was taught that he organized and lead the famous strike, which lasted 5 years, earning national attention and respect as well as increased workers rights. Growing up in Stockton, CA I was told that Filipinos decided to strike in the vineyards and contacted Cesar Chavez with this idea. Local legend dictates that Cesar Chavez advised against striking believing the union to be to weak. Ignoring Cesar's advice the Filipino union started striking and conducting sit ins in the fields. Seeing that the pressure was having an affect and that the union had not yet broken Cesar Chavez contacted the Filipino union giving his support and joined in the strike. This version of history may be biased; never the less, it is accepted as fact within the Filipino society within Stockton, CA, the location of the 1939 Asparagus Strike. The facts are thus, the predominately Filipino National Farm Laborers Union, initiated the Delano grape strike. Six Months after the strike began Cesar Chavez and the National Farm Workers Association joined the strike. A man named Larry Itliong led the strike. Cesar Chavez receives the accolades.

Cesar Chavez