Cesar Chavez

Cesar Chavez was born in Yuma, Arizona. His family owned a farm and a local grocery store. Cesar had a happy time growing up with family and relatives around him. His best friend was his brother Richard. His family lived in an adobe home built by his grandfather.

1.    Where was Cesar Chavez born?

2.    What did his family have?

3.    Who was his best friend?

4.    Where did they live?

When Cesar was eleven years old, his father lost the farm. The family didn't know what to do. They moved to California to find work. Cesar's family became migrant workers. They moved from farm to farm in California looking for work. All the family members worked, even Cesar. He worked in all sorts of different fields from grapes to beets. The days were long and the work was very hard.

5.    What happened when Cesar was eleven?

6.    Where did they move to?

7.    Where did they work?

 Cesar didn't go to school much anymore. In just a few short years he had attended thirty-five different schools. The teachers were tough on him. One time when he didn't speak English, a teacher made him wear a sign that read "I am a clown. I speak Spanish". After graduating from the eighth grade, Cesar stopped going to school.

8.    How many schools did he attend?

9.    When did he stop going to school?

The working conditions at the fields for Cesar and his family were horrible. The farmers seldom treated them like people. They had to work long hours with no breaks, there weren't any bathrooms for them, and they didn't have clean water to drink. Anyone who complained was fired.

 10.  What were the working conditions of farm workers?

11.  Did they have a place to wash ?

When Cesar was nineteen he joined the navy, but he left after two years and returned home and he married Helen Fabela in 1948. In 1962, Cesar started a union of migrant farm workers. He formed the National Farm Workers Association. Cesar called the movement for better working conditions "La Causa", or The Cause.

12.  When did he get married?

13.  What did he do in 1962?

One of Cesar's first major actions was to strike against grape farmers. A strike is when workers refuse to work. The strike started in Delano, California. Cesar and sixty-seven workers decided to march to Sacramento, the state capital. It took them several weeks to march the 340 miles. On the way there people joined them. The crowd grew larger and larger until thousands of workers arrived in Sacramento to protest. In the end, the grape growers agreed to many of the worker's conditions and signed a contract with the union. In order to bring attention to his cause Cesar fasted. This is when you don't eat. One time he fasted for 36 days. Many celebrities also fasted with him.

Cesar died in his sleep on April 23, 1993. Over 50,000 people attended his funeral service.

14.  What was one of his major actions?

15.  How many people began the march to Sacramento?

16.  What did he do bring attention to his cause?

Interesting Facts about Cesar Chavez

• His middle name was Estrada.
• Cesar was a vegetarian.
• After moving to California, his family lived in a poor barrio (town) called Sal Si Puedes which means "escape if you can".
• He and his wife Helen had eight children.
• His motto was "Si Se Puede", meaning "Yes, it can be done".

Adapted from Ducksters:

http://www.ducksters.com/biography/cesar_chavez.php

17.  What was his middle name?

18.   Where did his family live when they moved to California?

19.  How many children did he have?

20.  What was his motto?