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THE PESA POST
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Parents, Educators/Teachers & Students in Action

April 7, 2022
HAILING CESAR CHAVEZ

PESA interns present a course to mark the birthday of the labor organizer, activist and hero of farm workers everywhere
With the birthday of Cesar Chavez recently celebrated as a national holiday on March 31, PESA interns gave an educational presentation about the famed labor organizer to students grades 9-12 of Los Angeles Leadership Academy High School. It’s just one in a series of programs developed by our interns covering topics ranging from climate change to bullying, all aimed at raising awareness of important issues that might not otherwise be taught in the normal school-day curriculum and with a goal of making students better-informed members of our community.
In this particular program, students learned about Chavez’ personal history, from his birth in 1927 and upbringing during the Great Depression to his childhood among a family of migrant laborers to his service with the U.S. Navy, which expanded his horizons through world travel, and eventually his championing of the rights of farm workers.

It was in that role that Chavez learned to organize and focus on nonviolent forms of civil disobedience, strikes and boycotts. Indeed, it was the Delano Grape Strike that lasted from 1965 to 1970 and included a 340-mile march to Sacramento and a 25-day hunger strike that eventually led to increased pay and gave workers the right to unionize.
Students learned about activism and how they can apply that in their own lives, and they ended the session with a period of shared reflection on and discussion about Chavez and his legacy.

If you are an educator interested in this or any of our other presentations, please contact us.


If you’d like to support PESA’s many social and educational initiatives, please contact us.