César Chavez

In 1962, César Chavez founded the National Farm Workers Association, later to become the United Farm Workers (UFW), which under Chavez's nonviolent leadership effectively unionized the produce industry. In 1965, the UFW called for a boycott of California table grapes, eventually winning a major victory five years later when growers accepted union contracts. During his lifelong tenure as UFW president, Chavez went on three hunger strikes-the longest lasting thirty-six days-and in 1966 marched 340 miles from Delano to Sacramento, California, to focus attention on the farmworkers' plight. When Chavez died in 1993, fifty thousand mourners attended his funeral. In 2006, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger inducted Chavez into the California Hall of fame in order to honor his work during his lifetime.

Resources for Teachers and Students

Reflections on Working Towards Peace