1. Cesar Chavez

2. Early Life Born in Arizona
His grandfather immigrated from Mexico in order to escape slavery
His parents owned a farm and a store. They lost the store during the Great Depression and became migrant farm workers.
His family traveled from place to place harvesting the vegetables.
He started working full time in the fields after he finished the 8th grade.

3. Contributions
While working in the fields, he also worked to provide safety rules and more pay for the workers.
As director for the Community Service Organization (CSO), he worked to get workers to register to vote.
He left the CSO to organize a farm union, United Farm Workers of America (UFW)
Members of the farm union organized strikes and boycotts when their requests for more pay and better safety rules were ignored. Eventually laws were changed to provide better conditions and more pay for the workers.
Cesar Chavez received the Presidential US Medal of Freedom for his achievements for workers rights.

4. Social Barriers/Restrictions/Obstacles
Cesar Chavez did not give up even though he had to travel from place to place and had attended 65 different schools by the time he was in 8th grade.

5. Travels Born in Arizona
Left the southwest region to find work along the Pacific coast in California

6. Character Traits/Timeline
Cesar Chavez showed diligence and leadership.
Cesar Chavez’s belief in justice led him to work to help bring change for farm workers.

7. 1927 Chavez Born
1938 Became migrant farm worker
1946 Enlists in Navy
1948 Gets Married
1952 Joins CSO
1962 Founded NFWA
1966 UFW Formed
1968 Chavez leads grape boycott
day fast
day fast against pesticides
1993 Chavez dies
1994 Chavez’s wife accepts Medal of Freedom