We Need Cesar Chavez Now More Than Ever

His bust sits in the Oval Office, on the desk behind President Biden’s desk. His name adorns streets in cities with large Mexican-American populations across the country. But on this Cesar Chavez Day – at a time when people are extremely politically driven, yet historically ignorant, it is worth asking: who is this man with the iconic name, and what did he stand for?

First and foremost, Chavez stood for the civil rights and economic advancement of Latinos in America, beginning with the farmworkers largely of Mexican, Guatemalan and Salvadoran descent (but also Filipino and other Asian migrant workers) who for decades suffered underpay, maltreatment and even abuse as they picked the produce that fed this nation. Their days were long, their backs were bent, and their hands were scraped.

The story of Cesar Estrada Chavez begins near Yuma, Arizona. Cesar was born on March 31, 1927. He was named after his grandfather, Cesario. He learned about justice, or rather, injustice early in his life. Cesar grew up in Arizona; the small adobe home where Cesar was born was swindled from them. Cesar’s father agreed to clear eighty acres of land and in exchange he would receive the deed to forty acres of land that adjoined the home. The agreement was broken, and the land was sold back to the original owner. Later, Chavez would say, “The love for justice that is in us is not only the best part of our being but it is also the most true to our nature.”

In 1962, Cesar founded the National Farm Workers Association, which would later become the United Farm Workers or the UFW. He was joined by Dolores Huerta, and the union was born. That same year Richard Chavez designed the UFW Eagle and Cesar chose the black and red colors. Cesar told the story of the birth of the eagle. He asked Richard to design the flag, but Richard could not make an eagle that he liked. Finally, he sketched one on a piece of brown wrapping paper. He then squared off the wing edges so that the eagle would be easier for union members to draw on the handmade red flags that would give courage to the farm workers with their own powerful symbol. Cesar made reference to the flag by stating, “A symbol is an important thing. That is why we chose an Aztec eagle. It gives pride…when people see it, they know it means dignity.”

“Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed. You cannot uneducate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore.” – Cesar Chavez

Today is Cesar Chavez day. May we never forget the lessons he taught us and the justice he worked hard to achieve.