- César Chávez was the child of Mexican American migrant laborers. He spent his early years in a succession of migrant camps, attending school only sporadically. He spent two years in the Navy and returned to migrant farm work. In 1962, he began organizing the largely Hispanic farmworkers of Arizona and California. A charismatic figure, he used strikes and nationwide boycotts to win union recognition and contracts from California grape and lettuce growers. He brought his union to the AFL-CIO, and in 1972 it became the United Farm Workers of America (UFW).
- César Chávez dedicated his life to building a movement of poor working people that extended beyond the fields and into cities and towns across the nation. He inspired farm laborers and millions of people to commit themselves to social, economic, and civil rights activism. We honor his hard work and dedication to his people every year on March 31st, his birthday.