THE FIGHT IN THE FIELD CONTINUES…

Migrant Farm Workers Movement

By: Lindsay Lake

Brenda Ortega-Mendez

“While we know these products come from somewhere that they are grown, harvested and shipped to the stores where we buy them…few people realize that virtually every vegetable and piece of fruit we eat was handpicked by a farmworker, a member of our nation’s poorest and most disadvantaged class of laborers” – (Daniel Rothenberg) With these hands

THE PROBLEM Population: Migrant and Seasonal farm

workers Economic Injustices (.90cent/ hr) Poor working conditions During the 1960’s same time as the civil

rights movement (sexual harassment/discrimination on migrant workers)

As the crop production grew larger and more specialized, labor was required on a more seasonal basis. By the 1850s, demand for farming production increased to a level that immigrants from several countries were brought in by employment agencies to meet the demand

GOALS OF THE MOVEMENT

Creating a union for the migrant farmworkers Union would address poor wages, working conditions, and the sexual

and racial discrimination on the farm workers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQMiiOz6n24

UNITED FARM WORKS

labor union created from the merging of two groups, the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC) led by Filipino organizer Larry Itliong, and the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) led by César Chávez.

Mission: Create a union for farm works and improve wages.

CESAR CHAVEZ

Chavez grew up working as a migrant farm worker, which meant inhaling pesticides and living the hardships of farm workers.

He dropped out of school after eighth grade to support his family.

In 1962, he left his job as a staff director of a community service organization to fight for migrant workers’ rights

was influenced by Gandhi's non violent protests

CESAR CHAVEZ "There are vivid memories from my childhood -- what we had to go

through because of low wages and the conditions, basically because there was no union," he wrote in 1966. "I suppose if I wanted to be fair I could say that I'm trying to settle a personal score. I could dramatize it by saying that I want to bring social justice to farmworkers. But the truth is that I went through a lot of hell, and a lot of people did. If we can even the core a little for the workers then we are doing something."

First person in the United States to get a signed contract on labor rights

Cesar Chavez National MonumentMonday March 31st Cesar Chavez Day

BLACK PANTHERS PARTY

Put the grape boycott in their weekly paper 1969 Boycott against Safeway

SENATOR ROBERT KENNEDY

Senator Robert Kennedy joined Chavez in a 25 day fast Received campaign support from the UFW

Assassinated June 5, 1968

THE FIGHT CONTINUES… “With respect to migrant workers and farm

workers, even though things have gotten better, they haven’t gotten a whole lot better,”-Fernando Chavez(son)

Whatcome County Community to Community- C2C

Empower under-represented peoples to have an equal voice in decision making processes

Develop cross-cultural awareness

Restore justice to our food, land and cultural practices

Promote community relationships towards self-reliance

Work in solidarity with those that strive towards human rights for all

THE FIGHT CONTINUES… Skagit County Sakuma Brothers Berry Strikes July

12,2013 They went on strike to raise the piece

rate for picking, and to try to stop the grower from bringing in contract guest workers from Mexico to do the work they usually do every year. 

Labor camps ->

BRENDA’S STORY

TIME LINE

https://www.pbs.org/itvs/fightfields/timeline.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeo-q-8MOQ4 March 28,2014