César E. Chávez

https://www.nps.gov/cech/index.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesar_E._Chavez_National_Monument Cesar E. Chavez National Monument is a 116-acre U.S. National Monument in Keene, Kern County, California. Yes, we can! Widely recognized as the most important Latino leader in the United States during the twentieth century, César E. Chávez led farm workers and supporters in the establishment of the country's first permanent agricultural union. His leadership brought sustained international attention to the plight of U.S. farm workers, and secured for them higher wages and safer working conditions The monument is located near the small town of Keene, California on Highway 58. From Highway 58, take exit 138 toward Keene, then turn right on Woodford-Tehachapi Road. César E. Chávez National Monument will be on your left. César E. Chávez National Monument Visitor Center Explore the history of Cesar Chavez and the farmworker movement. Originally built in 1914, the visitor center was entirely rebuilt in 2003. Inside, watch films about Cesar’s life, contemplate his office, and view exhibits that tell the story of the boycotts and marches that began the farmworker movement, and of the people who united to work for human rights. The visitor center has an auditorium that has hosted naturalization ceremonies, and a store that offers books and souvenirs. There is no entrance fee. The monument is located near the small town of Keene, California on Highway 58. From Highway 58, take exit 138 toward Keene, then turn right on Woodford-Tehachapi Road. César E. Chávez National Monument will be on your left. There are no campgrounds at César E. Chávez National Monument. There are privately owned RV parks nearby in Tehachapi, and campgrounds in Sequoia National Forest between Bakersfield and Lake Isabella. Courtyard at Visitor Center Entrance A walkway with a fountain A walkway separates the entrances to the visitor center and the memorial garden. Memorial Garden & Gravesite Red roses bloom near a fountain and grave marker Roses grow in the memorial garden near the gravesite of César Chávez. César Chávez's Office A chair and desk near bookshelves César Chávez's office was carefully preserved and can be seen in the exhibit hall. Desert Garden Desert plants grow from rocky soil A desert garden features plants found in Yuma, Arizona, where César E. Chávez was born. Photo Collection A black and white photo showing a farmworker demonstration In the exhibit hall, explore the history of the farmworker movement through photos taken during marches and strikes. National Park Getaway: César E. Chávez National Monument This new national monument offers insight into why this man and the struggles of farmworkers mean so much to American agriculture, both the industry and its people. A visit to César E. Chávez National Monument will fill your mind and your heart with the spirit of ¡Sí se puede!―Yes we can! Rose bush with out-of-focus flags and mountain in the distance JROTC and NPS Collaboration – Expanding Our Stories Over the course of the 2018-19 academic years, the National Park Service’s Washington, DC Office of Interpretation, Education and Volunteers (WASO IEV), with support from Kutztown University, has overseen a series of pilot programs aimed to facilitate unique, place-based learning experiences in national parks for military youth throughout the United States. César E. Chávez National Monument Cultural Landscape César E. Chávez National Monument, known also as Nuestra Señora Reina De La Paz (La Paz), is located in Tehachapi Pass. La Paz has acquired exceptional historical significance at the national level for its association with César E. Chávez, the most important Latino leader in the history of the United States, and for its association with the United Farm Workers of America (UFW), the first permanent agricultural labor union established in the history of United States. Looking from the top of the hill at a building surrounded by oak trees in a valley. Defenders of the Landmark Federal laws protect everything that might be underground, including cemeteries and archeological sites. Laws are an important way to protect archeological sites that tell Cesar Chávez's stories and the activities that took place surrounding workers' rights and unionization at his home. Artist's illustration of cemetery Thirty Years of Farmworker Struggle Labor organizing has a long history in agriculture. Between 1930 and 1960, diverse groups of farmworkers in California struggled to form unions and to take collective action for better wages and working conditions. This article highlights the political and legal structures that made organizing in the fields especially difficult. Picketers standing in a field during A Continuing Struggle As the 1966 march by farmworkers from Delano to Sacramento neared its conclusion, the workers won an important victory. Schenley Industries agreed to negotiate a contract. However, the struggle to bring other growers to the bargaining table continued. Picketers address Governor Edmund Gerald The Terrain of Farmworker Life Large-scale commercial agriculture or agribusiness has shaped the landscape of California's Central Valley for over a century. This article explores the social and economic world created by agribusiness in and around the small city of Delano, with an emphasis on the lives of the predominately Filipino, Mexican, and Mexican American farm workers and their families. Farm workers using short handled hoes to harvest crops. A New Era of Farmworker Organizing This article explores changes in farm work and farmworker organizing that took place in the 1960s. The end of the Bracero Program, a strike wave, and the emergence of the Black Freedom Movement, all played a role in expanding the opportunities for farmworker organizing. So too did the emergence of a new organization, the National Farm Workers Association. Larry Itliong, a leader in farm worker organizing campaigns. Marching for Justice in the Fields The farm workers who marched from Delano to Sacramento represented the large, seasonal labor force, composed overwhelmingly of people of color, whose labor made California’s thriving agricultural industry possible. Although their labor produced fortunes from the soil, they were subjected to poor wages and working conditions. This article is an introduction to the issues that motivated the Delano Grape Strike and the 1966 march. César Chávez points to the route of the 1966 march. Mobilizing Support for La Causa After six months of picketing and protest, the Delano Grape strikers remained out of work with no grower agreeing to a contract. The situation demanded bold action. This article explores the decision to organize a historic march to the state capital in Sacramento and examines the planning, preparation, and execution of the historic pilgrimage. Marchers stand in front of the state capitol building in Sacramento. Workers United: The Delano Grape Strike and Boycott The decision to strike was full of risk for farmworkers and their families. In addition to lost wages, many also faced eviction from housing owned by growers. Nonetheless, in the fall of 1965, thousands of workers in the Delano grape fields voted in favor of striking This article explores the early months of the strike as well as the successful consumer boycott campaign initiated by the National Farm Workers Association.  Filipino farm workers walking a picket line in 1965 after announcing a strike. Top 10 Tips for Visiting César E. Chávez National Monument Plan like a ranger! Use these tips for a successful visit. Series: The Road to Sacramento: Marching for Justice in the Fields In the spring of 1966, a small group of California farmworkers and their supporters captured the attention of the nation. On March 17, nearly a hundred striking farmworkers, most of them Mexican American and Filipino, set out on foot from Delano, bound for the state capital in Sacramento, some 280 miles to the north. They marched to shine a light on the conditions in the fields and to demand for farmworkers the fundamental rights and freedoms to which other American workers were entitled. Cesar Chavez stands with a map showing the route of the 1966 march. Dolores Huerta Co-founder, with César Chavez, of the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) Dolores Clara Fernández Huerta was born in 1930 in Dawson, New Mexico and grew up in Stockton, California. Her organizing and activism has focused on improving the lives and working conditions of agricultural laborers, especially among the Lantinx and Chicanx living in the United States. Older women in black shirt with white pattern and black hair sits with her hands in lap, smiling. Series: Women's History in the Pacific West - California-Great Basin Collection Biographies from Northern California, Central Valley, Sierra Nevada Mountains and Nevada Map of northern California, Central Valley, Sierra Nevada Mountains and Nevada César E. Chávez National Monument Virtual Tour César E. Chávez, a civil rights leader among Latinos during the 1950s, was leader of the United Farm Workers union and assumed major roles in the broader labor, Chicano, and environmental movements. As a result, Chávez earned a high degree of national prominence during his lifetime and improved the lives of U.S. farm workers by securing them higher wages and safer working conditions. Explore César E. Chávez National Monument via HDP’s virtual tour. Fountain in César E. Chávez National Monument Memorial Garden Fence around Chávez Home Visitors to César E. Chávez National Monument might be surprised to see the Chávez home surrounded by a chain-link fence. It was erected after federal agents uncovered a plot to assassinate the famous labor union organizer. For Helen Chávez, the fence was an example of how home and union life merged. She worked ceaselessly to support both family and union, understanding that violence could follow them home at any time White house and dirt driveway seen through chain-link fence. Faded metal sign reads “Private Drive.” Series: Home and Homelands Exhibition: Politics Who has the right to call a place home? Who gets to decide? Building a home is personal, but it also political. This thread contains stories of belonging and exclusion. At the heart of each story is a woman or group working, organizing, or fighting for their homes and homelands. Most of them fought for full inclusion in American society despite systemic challenges and racial injustices. Some fought for an autonomous homeland. The written word dominates – all pleas for justice. Thick white paper peeled back to reveal collage of women.