1. What is your relationship with Cesar Chavez?
"I met him in 1961. I was the organizer--the main organizer of church support for the farm workers' union. I was director of the California Migrant Ministry, which then became the National Farm Worker Ministry."
2. How has Cesar Chavez's contributions affected both farm workers and society?
"He showed that by determination, for him, is just a lifelong commitment to organize farm workers. He showed that by determination and guts and creativity and organizing skill that it is possible to bring farm workers together, and organization had put enough pressure on the employers that they will negotiate. So farm workers won--many, many contracts and agreements because of the grape strike and boycott."
3. In your opinion, what was the greatest victory for the United Farm Workers union?
"The grape contracts in 1970. The strike happened in 1965. And then the boycott went from 1967 to 1970, but had all California table grape growers sign contracts all at once in the July of 1970. It was an impossible but wonderful victory."
4. How has Cesar Chavez personally influenced your life?
"He was my leader for twenty-seven years. He taught me an immense about organizing at the same time about the freedom to organize the church community to support the farm workers. He asked for help when it was needed, but he never interfered in the way we did things."
"I met him in 1961. I was the organizer--the main organizer of church support for the farm workers' union. I was director of the California Migrant Ministry, which then became the National Farm Worker Ministry."
2. How has Cesar Chavez's contributions affected both farm workers and society?
"He showed that by determination, for him, is just a lifelong commitment to organize farm workers. He showed that by determination and guts and creativity and organizing skill that it is possible to bring farm workers together, and organization had put enough pressure on the employers that they will negotiate. So farm workers won--many, many contracts and agreements because of the grape strike and boycott."
3. In your opinion, what was the greatest victory for the United Farm Workers union?
"The grape contracts in 1970. The strike happened in 1965. And then the boycott went from 1967 to 1970, but had all California table grape growers sign contracts all at once in the July of 1970. It was an impossible but wonderful victory."
4. How has Cesar Chavez personally influenced your life?
"He was my leader for twenty-seven years. He taught me an immense about organizing at the same time about the freedom to organize the church community to support the farm workers. He asked for help when it was needed, but he never interfered in the way we did things."