US Latinx Activism and Protests: From the Farm to the (Legislative) Table

Key Figures

Dolores Huerta was a co-founder of the United Farmer Workers Association. She was a prominent leader in the Chicano civil rights movement. She was shaped by discrimination due to her school teacher, prejudiced against the Hispanics, accused her of cheating due to the eloquent way she would write her papers. She would go forward to organize the 1965 Delano Strikes of 5,000 grape workers and was the lead negotiator of the worker's contract. She fought hard for the unemployment and healthcare benefits of the agricultural workers. She led many more boycotts that lead to the formation of a successful union contract by 1970. This soon lead to her forming the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975 and this allowed for farm workers to form unions and bargain for better wages. Her goal was to improve the workers labor representation and did it in such a way that was successful and allowed for others to improve upon their working conditions.

Cesar Chavez was the labor union activist for the United Farm Workers. He was deeply inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. He advocated strongly for better wages, safer working conditions, and less exposure to pesticides. He challenged the National Labor Relations Act of 1935, which went against their cause. It was a federal law that did not protect farm workers, thus Cesar and his supporters led boycotts against lettuce, table grapes, and wine to promote their message and to protect the farmers and workers against these unjust laws. He dedicated his life to protecting against the injustice of the labor conditions and he led the Delano grape strike of 1965 - 1970. His acts had allowed for 2.5 million farmworkers to benefit from his struggles and allowed for those to pave a path towards a brighter future.

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