Current Challenges

"The farm workers movement gave us a chance to force people to know we existed, 
that we had decided it was time for better conditions and respect."
~Sabino Lopez, Farm Worker
Through the years, the UFW broke new barriers in the everlasting struggle for equality. Following the ALRA passage, the union launched a series of victorious campaigns against mushroom, strawberry, and dairy industries. Its mission has benefited thousands locally and internationally, transforming lives one contract at a time.     
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Although organizations such as the UFW work to eliminate agricultural inequity, issues of modern-day slavery continue to haunt society. According to renowned director Sanjay Rawal, "the grape of the 21st century is the Florida tomato...It's really Cesar 2.0." While abused workers suffer daily under the sheer brutality of labor, everyday consumers remain uninformed of the circumstances. However, using the teachings of Chavez and understanding of moral duty, our nation can promote the shift towards a brighter future.     
"Farm labor contractors have as much power as ever. The gains made
in the 1960s and 1970s in the fields have almost evaporated."
~Tom Dalzell, Interview
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Department of Commerce, 2012
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US Department of Labor

Lasting Legacy

Chavez and the UFW taught many people how to organize and how to promote social change, and they took those lessons with them the rest of their life, as teachers, labor organizers, environmentalists, lawyers, and so forth. To this day he remains the most significant Latino leader in this country, and in that role he has served as an inspiration for many people. His legacy today is not in the fields... but in the cities and around the country.
~Miriam Pawel, Interview
  • "Our state is long overdue for reform for field and poultry workers. It’s time for better working and living conditions for the people..."
  • MAFO serves to "assist in the development of coherent national and state policies which provide the most effective delivery of services to migrants, farmworkers and the rural poor"
  • "There are a myriad of programs that help farmworkers and give them hope for themselves and their children’s futures... AFOP (Association of the Farmworker Opportunity Program) urges significant increases in all such programs."
~Mouse over logos to view quotes of organizations today inspired by Chavez and the UFW~
"Chavez’s legacy resonates far from the fields, among generations barely born when he died... Chavez himself has become a symbol—for all those Davids who tackle Goliaths and embrace the slogan, sí se puede: Yes, it can be done." 
~Miriam Pawel
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"Cesar Chavez’s widow, Helen, accepted the Medal of Freedom for her late husband."
"He was for his own people a Moses figure. The farm workers who labored in the field and yearned for respect and self-sufficiency pinned their hopes on this remarkable man who, with faith and discipline... led a very courageous life."
~President Bill Clinton
A champion of justice, Cesar Chavez served as a voice to the voiceless, seeking to defend the basic privileges of farm workers across the country. Despite heavy racial discrimination, his crusade for fair treatment opened a floodgate of occupational improvements. Greater opportunities with adequate conditions expanded to laborers of all ethnicities. Moreover, the successive victories of the UFW infused confidence amongst both the individual and collective work force. Through steadfast dedication, Chavez achieved the impossible, securing fundamental rights and responsibilities for the oppressed.   

From Movement to Media

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Movie poster
"Cesar Chavez, the movie, showed that farm workers could bring about transformational change in their lives and the lives of their families through non-violent means and by having the courage to fight for civil rights. It will serve to educate new generations of people about what Cesar achieved, and what is yet to be accomplished in the struggle for Latino's rights in our country."
~Maya Santamaria, CEO of Santamaria Broadcasting Inc
"As immigration policy is hotly debated on Capitol Hill this year, [Diego] Luna [director of movie] and others who were involved with Cesar Chavez are hoping the movie will spark new support for reform and inspire American Latinos to get involved... His organizing strategies, featured extensively in Cesar Chavez, have been adopted by other activists, including those leading the modern immigration rights movement."
~Kate Pickert, TIME Magazine
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Click to view TIME magazine article featuring the Cesar Chavez movie.
WASHINGTON — US Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez 
"Today, we celebrate one of the greatest Americans of the 20th century. César Chávez's passion for social justice and his devotion to improving the lives of working people remain an inspiration 87 years after his birth. A heroic and iconic labor leader, a gifted practitioner of the politics of protest and boycott, a man of towering strength and indescribable courage, one of our history's leading humanitarians and civil rights giants, César Chávez stirs a new generation of activists fighting for change today. As we move closer to fixing our broken immigration system, as we rise to the challenge of income inequality, as we protect the right to join a union, as we work to create opportunity for all, we draw strength from his vision and moral example. On César Chávez Day — and every day — we must continue to remind ourselves: ¡Sí Se Puede!"
"Celebrations at Cesar Chavez Elementary School as part of a Cesar Chavez Day March and Festival." ~K.C. Alfred, San Diego Union-Tribune