Celebrate Cesar Chávez Day

Today we celebrate Cesar Chávez Day, in honor of the legacy of Cesar Chávez’s tireless work, first as a farmer, and then as labor organizer and Civil Rights leader. He began working on a farm young, and witnessed the oppression Latinx and Filipino-Americans faced, especially by Anglo ranchers and farm owners. He found the injustice around him inexcusable, and utilized nonviolent methods to fight for civil and worker rights, using boycotting and strikes to grab the attention of the nation. Chávez wanted to ensure the United States couldn’t ignore the exploitation of the migrant farm workers who fed them.

Cesar Chávez co-founded the National Farmworker Association (now known as United Farm Workers of America), hand-in-hand with fellow civil rights activist and leader Dolores Huerta and others. It was one of the first successful labor unions for farm workers in America. He’s a true example of grassroots efforts and on the ground activism; he participated in voter drives to being a figurehead in the boycott of grapes, driving potentially more than 17 million Americans and Canadians to join the Delano Grape Strike.

Urban Roots strives to follow in the footsteps of what he’s provided with our holistic approach to what we do. We aren’t just a farm, after all, and we value the people we work with, the youth we empower, and the community we work with. We strive to not just feed our community, but to nourish it, empower it, and help it grow, as our youth and staff grow, and as we grow as an organization.

With the world being what it is right now, we feel our local efforts are more important than ever to ensure our community is nourished, and that we’re connected as a whole. Like Cesar Chávez said, “The fight is never about grapes or lettuce. It is always about people.” Feeding our community is extremely important, and part of what we do, but we cannot forget the power of community, connection, and collective activism.

Learn more about Cesar Chavez Day here.

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