HispanicEssayICS16VAR

How did Cesar Chavez overcome challenges and make a big difference in America? Cesar Chavez lived a poor life. He lived on a farm and his parents were migrant workers. Which means they traveled around a lot because they couldn't find work. But he found a way to get through it and become a union leader. They had to live in dirty, cramped places and earned little money. Cesar and his family had to live a hard life. At age 11 Cesar's family lost their farm during the Great Depression and became migrant farm workers. Throughout his youth and into adulthood, Cesar traveled the migrant streams throughout California laboring in the fields,orchards and vineyards,where he was exposed to the hardships and injustices of farm worker life. Since their family had to keep moving around due to being migrant workers Cesar had to attend many schools. After attending numerous schools as the family migrated, Cesar finished his formal education after the eighth grade and worked all day. It helped so much once he finished school because he was able to work full time in the fields to support his family.

Cesar Chavez overcame his challenges by being a strong and confident leader in our world today. He has inspired me to be a respectful and strong person. Cesar Chavez became an American labor leader and civil rights activists who co-founded the National Farm Workers Association in 1962. Chavez became the best known Latino American civil rights activist, and was strongly promoted by the American Labor Movement, which was eager to enroll Hispanic members.At first the workers were afraid of the produce growers, But Chavez inspired the group and led peaceful protests and boycotts. These actions convinced the growers to sign contracts w/ the farm workers and to treat them better. Cesar joined the U.S.Navy in 1946, in the aftermath of World War II, and served in the Western Pacific. He returned from the service in 1948 to marry Helen Fabela, whom he met while working in the fields and vineyards around Delano. His public-relations approach to unionism and aggressive but nonviolent tactics made the farm workers' struggle a moral cause with nationwide support. By the late 1970s, his tactics had forced growers to recognize the UFW as the bargaining agent for 50,000 field workers in California and Florida. However, by the mid-1980s membership in the UFW had dwindled to around 15,000.

During his lifetime, Cesar Chavez was one of the few institutions named in his honor, but after his death he became a major historical icon for the Latino community, with many schools, streets, and parks being named after him. He has since become an icon for organized labor and leftist politics, symbolizing support for workers and for Hispanic empowerment based on grass roots organizing. His supporters say his work led to numerous improvements for union laborers. Although the UFW faltered a few years after Chavez died in 1993, he became an iconic "folk saint" in the pantheon of Mexican Americans. Chavez had long preferred grassroots action to legislative work, but in 1974, propelled by the recent election of the pro-union Jerry Brown as governor of California, as well as a costly battle with the Teamsters union over the organizing of farm workers, Chavez decided to try to work toward legal victories. During this time, Chavez also clashed with other UFW members about policy issues, including the possible creation of local unions for the UFW, which was typical for national unions but which Chavez was firmly against, on the grounds that it detracted from his vision for the UFW as a movement.

When Chavez returned home from his service in the military in 1948, he married his high school sweetheart, Helen Fabela. The couple moved to San Jose, California, where they had eight children. Chavez was a vegan, both because he believed in animal rights and also for his health. Chavez died on April 23, 1993, of unspecified natural causes in San Luis, Arizona in the home of former farm worker and longtime friend Dofla Maria Hau. Chavez was in Arizona helping UFW attorneys defend the union against a lawsuit. Shortly after his death, his widow, Helen Chavez, donated his black nylon union jacket to the National Museum of American History, a branch of the Smithsonian.

Cesar Chavez's birthday, March 31, is a state holiday in California, Colorado, and Texas. It is intended to promote community service in honor of Chavez's life and work. Many, but not all, state government offices,  c ommunity colleges , and libraries are closed. Many public schools in the three states are also closed. Chavez Day is an optional holiday in Arizona. Although it is not a federal holiday, President Barack Obama  proclaimed March 31 "Cesar Chavez Day" in the United States, with Americans being urged to "observe this day with appropriate service, community, and educational programs to honor César Chávez's enduring legacy".

Work Cited:

"Hispanic Heritage Discovery History Makers Born Before 1900." //Hispanic Heritage Discovery History Makers Born Before 1900 //. Scholastic Inc, n.d. Web. 05 May 2016.
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"CESAR CHAVEZ FOUNDATION." //CESAR CHAVEZ FOUNDATION //<span style="background-color: #f1f4f5; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,'TeX Gyre Heros',TeXGyreHeros,FreeSans,'Nimbus Sans L','Liberation Sans',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">. Cesar Chavez Foundation, n.d. Web. 05 May 2016.
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