Cesar Chavez was born on March 31, 1927 in Yuma, Arizona. In 1939 his family moved to California, migrating throughout the state to work as field laborers. Chavez and his brother attended 37 schools. When his father was injured and could no longer work, Chavez quit high school to become a migrant farm worker himself. He joined the Navy in 1946 where he served for two years. He married in 1948 and settled in Delano, California. 

Concerned about the rights and safety of migrant farm workers, in 1962 Chavez established the National Farm Workers Association, later renamed the United Farm Workers Union (UFW). He chose a black Aztec eagle set against a red background as the Union’s insignia.  Chavez believed in non-violent protests including marches, boycotts, pickets and strikes. 

In 1965 Filipino-American workers organized the Delano grape strike, protesting for higher wages. The UFW voted to support the strike. Chavez’s first organized march was in 1966 and went from Delano to Sacramento. 10,000 supporters amassed in front of the State Capital to lend their support. Chavez’s feet were so painful that he was forced to walk with a cane. The grape crisis gained national attention when the United Automobile Workers Union joined the effort. In May 1968 Chavez went on the Today Show and implored the public to boycott all grapes grown in California.

Chavez came to San Francisco often. St. Paul’s church in Noe Valley^[1] housed UFW organizers. San Franciscans boycotted grapes and helped with picketing large supermarket chains. In 1970 Delano grape growers signed contracts ensuring wage increases, health plans and new safety measures regarding the use of pesticides. In 1972 Prop 22 was put on the ballot and would have banned boycott campaigns, but the proposition lost by 58%. 

In 1974 migrant farmworker rights became the cornerstone of gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown’s campaign. As governor, Brown signed into law the Agriculture Labor Relations Act, which established the right for farm workers to unionize. It was the first such legislation in the United States.

In 1978 Chavez led a 4-day march from Union Square^[2] in San Francisco to Gallo Wineries’ in Modesto. In the 1980s Chavez’s focus shifted from migrant worker rights to anti-pesticide campaigns. In 1988 he went on a hunger strike, his third in two decades. Reverend Jesse Jackson took up Chavez’s fast for three days before passing it on to actors, politicians and celebrities.

Chavez died in 1993 at the age of 66. A huge funeral was held for him in Delano. A year later, Chavez’s widow accepted the Medal of Freedom presented to Chavez posthumously by President Bill Clinton. 

In 1995 San Francisco’s Army Street, which connects Bayview to Noe Valley, was renamed Cesar Chavez Blvd. 

^[1] Noe Valley: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=3256

^[2] Union Square: story coming July 25th