A Critique of the Proposed National Education Policy Reform
The chicano movement and its filipino foundation
1. The Chicano Movement and its Filipino Foundation
Alyssa Pangilinan, Andrea Serna, & Miguel Limon
Abstract
The National Farmworkers Association, led by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta,
merged with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee in 1965 to form the United Farm
Workers. Larry Itliong, the leader of AWOC, which was primarily Filipino, asked Chavez and
Huerta for help in the Grape Strike that would eventually lead to the merge of not only
organizations, but of two communities. In the three acts, we see Chavez’ apprehension, the
merger, and the “recruitment” of farmworkers played by the audience. Pulling from the National
Museum of American History’s collection, it would be best suited for an institution of the like.
2. Table of Contents
Abstract 0
Program Rationale 2
Audience 3
Promotion 3
Press Release 4
Evaluation 5
Budget 6
Historiographical Discussion 7
Script 9
Act I: Meeting before the Grape Strike 9
Act II: Merging of AWOC and NFWA to Create United Farm Workers 14
Act III: Dolores, Cesar, Larry meet with workers who are thinking about unionizing 18
Appendices 22
Bibliography 23
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3. Program Rationale
This program requires three interpreters and families as the audience. It is a museum
theatre program that focuses on Filipino and Latino farmworker’s rights in the 1960’s. It will be
an exhibit at the National Museum of American History and will cost at least $900 for the
materials plus the pay for those involved.The historic themes this program addresses include
worker’s rights, ethnicity, class, and gender. These themes are important for the general
population and historical education today because the minority groups that are represented in the
program (low-income working class people and people of color) still face discrimination based
on those specific identity characteristics. Therefore, having this program allows for discussion
and learning about these social issues, which is important because “…museum theatre has shown
the potential to promote critical thinking on social issues…museum theatre means to provoke
and offer a chance for reflection through the creation of a dialogical space where multiple
perspectives can unravel.” (Nikonanou 18). The living history presentation of this program uses
a museum theatre group of three members. This is suitable for interpreting the themes covered
because it offers a variety of perspectives, including two men and one woman. It also offers both
a Latino perspective as well as a Filipino point of view. This is different and more effective than
other modes of programming, such as a brochure or plain text because theatre participants can
show emotion that closely reflects how the historical figures (Chavez, Huerta, and Itliong) truly
felt at this time. This program does use material culture. The artifacts used are buttons that
represent the farmers movement. These buttons were worn by participants and supporters of the
movement. By incorporating them into the program, the audience will have a better sense of the
physical items that these figures utilized. Material culture is essential for the program because it
is the “…physical evidence that both documents and illustrates the storyline and themes of a
historic site” and “…is an effective, evocative, effective teaching tool that helps bring historic
sites to life for visitors” (Levy 67). This program keeps the audience engaged because it includes
three specific scenes that go over the main events that happened when thinking about the farm
worker’s movement, specifically when it comes to these three specific historical characters.
Similar to the Suffragist program, the audience learns about the inequalities these groups were
facing at the time. By setting up the first scene in a way that clearly shows that Latino workers
and Filipino workers had to fight for better conditions, the audience will want to stay to find out
how the leaders will handle the problem at hand. . This program is a perfect fit for the National
Museum of American History because the museum’s mission statement and goals are
“Empowering people to create a just and compassionate future by exploring, preserving, and
sharing the complexity of our past… explore fundamental American ideals and ideas—such as
democracy, opportunity, and freedom—and major themes in American history and culture, from
European contact in the Americas to the present day” (National Museum of American History).
Chavez, Huerta, and Itliong all strived for greater opportunities and freedom for their groups.
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4. Audience
The target audience for this program is families. We are targeting this audience because
the program’s contents are beneficial for both children and adults. This program would be taking
place in a museum, where families would be able to cluster around the exhibit. It would also be
easily accessible, as the language is easy to understand for both kids (elementary or older) and
adults. The third act, where Dolores, Cesar, and Larry talk to each other and the audience about
unionizing, leads to the exhibit having multiple outcomes and having the ability to foster
multiple group discussions. It is also a relevant exhibit, as visitors may have prior knowledge
about farmer’s rights and workers being able to unionize, even if they do not know about the
groups in the exhibit directly. All of these characters are ones from the PISEC study on family
friendly exhibits (Bingmann 76). The pins also offer a hands-on approach in the program to keep
visitors, especially children, engaged.
Promotion
The plan for promotion includes posting the event on the National Museum of American
History’s main webpage for everyone to see. Additionally, since our audience is families, we will
also advertise the museum theater event on any tourism blogs and city packages, since most
already include visiting the National Museum of American History. We would like to advertise
both the family friendly language of the performances since the scripts are easy to understand,
and the question and answer portion that makes up the final act of the performances since
audience members will have the opportunity to ask any questions they may have, which, in turn,
fosters an engaging and educational program.
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5. Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: The Smithsonian National Museum of American History
A History of Farm Labor Rights Through Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, and Larry Itliong: An
Invitation to Museum Theater
WASHINGTON, D.C. 9 JUNE 2021 - The Smithsonian National Museum of American History
hosts a brand new museum theater program that presents the history of farm labor rights in the
1960s and 70s through the formation of the United Farm Workers organization. Families are
invited to attend the performance of Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, and Larry Itliong, three
prominent advocates for farm worker unions and rights.
Families can watch the three act performance that highlight the Delano Grape Strike that lasted
from 1965-1970, the merging of Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta’s National Farm Workers
Association and Larry Itliong’s Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee to create the United
Farm Workers organization, and ask the performers direct questions about unionizing in the
context of the Salad Bowl strike of 1970.
Audience members will also be able to see artifacts, such as pins, in the performance and will be
able to ask questions about unionizing in the final act. The theater program’s language is
appropriate for all ages and encourages families to attend.
The theater event will run weekly for the time being. To find out more, please contact the
Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
ABOUT THE THEATER COMPANY
The theater program includes the professional performances of renowned historical actors
Miguel Limon (Cesar Chavez), Andrea Serna (Dolores Huerta), and Alyssa Pangilinan (Larry
Itliong). For more information, please contact their agent: Amy Tyson.
###
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6. Evaluation
Learning outcomes for this program seek the communication of Filipino involvement in
labor movements in the 1960s. Usually attached to Mexican-American histories, we attempt to
subvert this narrative to include more inclusive voices. To measure the success of this program, a
focus group of participants will be randomly selected and asked to create a mind map related to
their knowledge of labor movements led by Cesar Chavez. In these mind maps, participants are
encouraged to include the communities and stakeholders involved. If the program is successful,
post-visit mind maps should include more stakeholders and keywords like “Filipinos” “Grape
Strike” “Lettuce Strike” “Larry Itliong” etc. Increased complexity through connection lines and
references to specific events would suggest rich acquisition of historical context and knowledge.
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8. Historiographical Discussion
Most if not all of Cesar Chavez’s achievements in the Chicano movement are credited to
speaking and leadership abilities. However, there is more to his success that is often left
unconsidered. Historically, major news outlets painted Chavez as the leader of the movement.
Sharing the stage with civil rights activists, the Mexican-American farm workers were
commonly in conversation with various politics dynamics in the US. Chavez, as he would often
borrow political strategies from civil rights activists, would be compared to leaders like Martin
Luther King Jr and others. Historians today revisit these political discourses in various ways.
Even so, many tend to leave out pivotal interactions that Chavez had with his counterparts.
Literature on the Chicano Labor Movement tends to paint a similar picture, following the work
of Mexican-American farm workers, but there are some scholars who choose to enrich the
narrative with more perspectives.
To start, one could consider Jose Izaguirre’s work as an example of commonly taken
stance on Chavez’s work. In “A Social Movement in Fact: La Raza and El Plan De Delano,”
Izaguirre conducts a literary analysis of Chavez’s “El Plan De Delano” which serves as a
manifesto to the Delano Grape Strike explored in this program. Throughout this text, Izaguirre
explores the engagements of Mexican Culture, Chicano Culture, and Labor Rights that happened
during the strike1
. However, this is the only perspective seen. There is no other mentions of
Chavez’s colleagues or Non-Mexican farm workers.
In contrast, David Bacon and Adrian Cruz take a more radical approach, almost working
through the lens of a critical race theorist. Bacon in his “How Filipino Migrants Gave the Grape
Strike its Radical Politics" dissects the ways in which Filipino farmworkers not only set the
foundation for the Chicano movement but also led to many successes afterwards2
. Cruz’s "The
Union within the Union: Filipinos, Mexicans, and the Racial Integration of the Farm Worker
Movement” delves into the racial unity and integration that took places in events like the Delano
Grape Strike, leading into the merger of the National Farm Workers Association and the
Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee3
. In both texts, race is a major topic of discussion.
More importantly, they discuss the ways in which race became a tool for growers to separate
Mexicans and Filipinos to limit organizing abilities. Often, growers would purposefully evict
Filipino workers who were organizing and replace them with Mexican worker and vice versa.
This fabricated competition led to tensions that inhibited community building. The success of the
3
Cruz, Adrian. 2016. "The Union within the Union: Filipinos, Mexicans, and the Racial
Integration of the Farm Worker Movement." Social Movement Studies 15 (4) (Jul 03,): 361-373.
doi:10.1080/14742837.2016.1149057.
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14742837.2016.1149057.
2
Bacon, David. 2018. "How Filipino Migrants Gave the Grape Strike its Radical Politics."
Dollars & Sense (Somerville, Mass.) (336): 18.
1
Izaguirre, José G. 2020. "A Social Movement in Fact: La Raza and El Plan De Delano."
Rhetoric Society Quarterly 50 (1) (Jan 01,): 53-68. doi:10.1080/02773945.2019.1685125.
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02773945.2019.1685125.
7
9. Grape Strike and the merger of United Farm Workers was dependent on the challenging of racial
biases that the two communities had for each other, mostly through leadership provided but
Larry Itliong and Cesar Chavez.
Some scholars look at Chicano movement specifically through economic and labor
history. Matt Garcia writes in his "A Moveable Feast: The UFW Grape Boycott and Farm
Worker Justice" that the success of the UFW strikes is mainly due to the employment of boycott,
which hindered national and international trade, informing how labor movements developed
outside of the US4
. Garcia also explores the involvement of class in the movements, seeing how
various members of the middle-class power had in supporting the movements through their
purchases and boycotts.
Similarly, there are many scholars who looks at the involvement of supporters in
auxiliary ways. Margaret Rose is a feminist writer that navigates the history of the Grape Strike
through women’s activism. In "Woman Power Will Stop those Grapes" Rose recounts that
impact of female organizers in Philadelphia. Like Garcia, Rose’s community of interest is also
middle-class5
. It is interesting to look at this text as one would expect the Grape Strike to be
irrelevant to women in Philadelphia because the movement was mainly in California, however,
this demonstrates the scale to which activism was taking place.
Overall, the popular narrative that credits only Cesar Chavez is incomplete. With many
scholars of various fields engaging with the Chicano Movement and the Grape Strike, it is
pertinent that educational programming for this subject must adapt and become more inclusive to
the entire history.
5
Rose, Margaret. 1995. ""Woman Power Will Stop those Grapes": Chicana Organizers and
Middle-Class Female Supporters in the Farm Workers' Grape Boycott in Philadelphia,
1969-1970." Journal of Women's History; Journal of Women's History 7 (4): 6-36.
doi:10.1353/jowh.2010.0500.
4
Garcia, Matt. 2013. "A Moveable Feast: The UFW Grape Boycott and Farm Worker Justice."
International Labor and Working Class History 83 (83): 146-153.
doi:10.1017/S0147547913000021. https://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0147547913000021.
8
10. Script
Act I: Meeting before the Grape Strike
Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez meet with Larry Itliong at the Filipino Cultural Center of
Delano where Larry will attempt to convince Chavez to join forces and lead the Mexican farm
worker community in a joint strike, later dubbed the Delano Grape Strike.
Scene: It is July, in very hot central California, two months after the success of the Coachella
Strike. Larry is packing up after an organizing meeting with the Agricultural Workers Organizing
Committee.
Larry: Alright! Goodbye folks, thanks for another meeting. We’ll talk strategies next time….
[Larry is setting out. Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta walk into the room.]
Dolores: Hi there, it seems we missed the meeting.
Larry: Oh hello! You did but that’s okay, I’ve been meaning to talk to you both so I’m glad you
came.
Cesar: We heard how well your Coachella strike went, it's incredible that you were able to secure
the 40 cent raise. We could use that kind of change.
Larry: Yeah, it took some fighting but we got it. This is only the beginning, too. Which is another
thing, I wanted to propose something to you.
Cesar: What?
Larry: You see, we’ve been working real hard to get the growers to listen to us and you know
how they’re using our differences against us….
Dolores: Yeah, they know the farmers don’t work well together so they can put us against each
other. 6
Larry: Right, we’re all fighting the same cause, it’s frustrating that they can control us like that.
Mexicans and Filipinos work just as hard as each other, I don’t get why we can't work with each
other on the fields. I think we need to do something about it…
6
Bacon, David. 2018. "How Filipino Migrants Gave the Grape Strike its Radical Politics."
Dollars & Sense (Somerville, Mass.) (336): 18.
9
11. Dolores: What do you think would work?
Larry: Well you two have the National Farm Workers Association and we’ve got the Agricultural
Workers Organizing Committee, we can fight together.
Cesar: You’re right, Filipinos and Latinos need to work together but how can we make it work?
We can share the picket lines but our approaches are so different. I am very pacifist and
well….you’re very…..hm…vocal about your militance.
Larry: That’s alright, what we really need is just good leadership that can work with both
groups. We can handle the language barrier, you all can do the Spanish and I can do the
Tagalog. We just need to do something together.
Cesar: I mean…yes but what could we do?
Dolores: The Coachella strike worked right? We could just do that again. AWOC is working with
grape farmers right? So are we. California supplies grapes for the whole world, if we can mess
with that, we’ll have all eyes on us. Imagine, we can have Filipino and Mexican unity on the
front page.
Cesar: I don’t know….NFWA isn’t ready for a major strike like that….7
Larry: Look, we made it work and we can do it again, but bigger.
Cesar: I know…I just…I’m worried that things will get violent. What if anyone gets hurt? Then
nobody will want to strike again.
Dolores: Don’t worry about that, we know our people, they’ll do what’s right no matter what.
Besides, you know they’ve been talking about doing a major strike for a while. Now we’d have
all the farmers on board.
Cesar: I guess it would be a spectacle.
Larry: Right, everyone would be watching. Filipinos and Mexicans side-by-side.
Cesar: We have been meaning to do a march too, the more people we can get the better.
7
Chavez was apprehensive of joining the strike and later joined two weeks after it started.
Janos, Adam. "How Cesar Chavez Joined Larry Itliong to Demand Farm Workers' Rights." HISTORY.,
accessed Jun 9, 2021, https://www.history.com/news/chavez-itliong-delano-grape-strike.
10
12. Dolores: Yes! And we should make it statewide, so farmers all over can join.
Larry: Hey! We’ve been planning a little strike in Delano for a couple weeks now. We were
getting paid $1.40 back in Coachella but now they’re paying $1.20. We could start here8
.
Cesar: True. This press could be good for the boycott, too. If we can get the country to stop
buying grapes I’m sure they’ll listen to us then.
Dolores: Yes! And look, one of our guys already designed some pins.
[Dolores pulls out these pin designs from her bag]910
Larry: Wow those are great! What’s the eagle for?
Cesar: Well, that’s just an idea I had, I’m not really sure if we’ll go through with it. It reminds me
of the Aztec eagle.
Dolores: Anyway, let’s get back to this grape strike, how many people do you think you can get to
join?
Larry: Well, maybe a thousand, maybe more. We’re planning to strike this September.
10
“Boycott Grapes - Viva La Causa Button,” ID number: PL.296849.01, accession number:
296849, catalog number: 296849.01. National Museum of American History.
https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_529613.
9
“Boycott Grapes Protest Button,” ID number: 2012.0036.06, accession number: 2012.0036,
catalog number: 2012.0036.06. National Museum of American History.
https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1422164.
8
Kim, Inga. "The 1965-1970 Delano Grape Strike and Boycott." UFW.,
,https://ufw.org/1965-1970-delano-grape-strike-boycott/.
11
13. Cesar: SEPTEMBER? [appalled] No, we can’t. We need at least 2 more years to organize
enough for the NFWA to pull this off.
Larry: No! Listen, if you can get your folks to show up for us, I can promise you that we got your
back too.
Cesar: I…I mean…I don’t know if we can do this…
Dolores: Cesar, are you serious? We’ve done harder things, we can do this.
Cesar: I…I know..but how can we make sure it’ll work. And like I said, with a movement this big,
how will we keep it non-violent.
Dolores: When we’re organizing, we can have the workers vouch that they’ll remain non-violent.
Larry: I’m more worried about what the growers will do. The workers are already living in
terrible conditions, but even my folks will fight tooth and nail to get what they deserve. Even if
we get the growers to sign a contract, that’s a win. We’re risking a lot here and we really need
your help. With both sides working together, it’ll work.
Cesar: I don’t know, this is a big risk for us, too. We’ve only been organizing for three years, I
don’t even know if we have the resources to make it happen. What our folks don’t want to do it?
Larry: Well I’d hope they will. Dolores, any ideas?
Dolores: Cesar is right, we’re still pretty young as an organization but I think it’s now or never.
This could be huge for everyone.
Cesar: Yes but it’s too big of a risk. Most of the Filipino farmers could easily be evicted or
arrested. We don’t have the funds to get people out. Not to mention, If they do kick people out I
bet they’d immediately just replace them with Mexican workers.
Larry: This is true, but we know this risk. Whether or not you join, we’re striking on September
8th
.
Cesar: I don’t know Larry, we’ll have to talk it over with our folks. I’m not even sure they’d be
up for it.
Larry: That’s okay, we’ll plan ahead anyway.
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14. Dolores: We’ll likely have to do a vote. I can’t imagine people wouldn’t want to support but who
knows. Some people might see it as an opportunity, we know the growers are probably going to
try to hire some of our people just to mess things up.
Larry: Which is why we need you all so it doesn’t happen. We can’t let them put us against each
other.
Cesar: AGH! Why does it have to be so soon? If we had more time, we could plan more.
Larry: The three of us all know that time is against us. My workers are working too hard just to
get knocked to $1.20 again. Especially after our win with Coachella. We barely secured the same
pay as the Braceros but now they knocked us back down? We have to act.
Cesar: And the growers wouldn’t budge?
Larry: Nope.
Cesar: Ughhh [scoffs] why are they always like this?
Dolores: You know they’re greedy…
Cesar: Yeah but they need to respect us, all of us, and all the work we do for them.
Larry: You’re preaching to the choir, Cesar. We just got to keep fighting.
Cesar: Right…well…we have to think about all the factors before we can dive in. I’m sorry.
Larry: We’ll be waiting.
Cesar: Let’s see how it goes when you all start striking, if you all need our support, we can vote.
Dolores: That sounds like a plan.
Larry: Well friends, we’re counting on you.
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15. Act II: Merging of AWOC and NFWA to Create United Farm Workers
Dolores Huerta, Cesar Chavez, and Larry Itliong meet to talk about logistics for the Delano
Grape Strike. Their meeting entails how exactly their organizations, AWOC and NFWA will work
together during these strikes, as well as later on merging to create the United Farm Workers.
It starts on September 16, where NWFA has to make a decision as to whether or not they will
actually join AWOC in their fight for labor rights. They are located in Our Lady of Guadalupe
Catholic Church in Delano, California.
Cesar: Well everyone, what do you think? Should we join forces with Itliong and AWOC?
NWFA workers: Yes!! Viva la Huelga!!
Cesar: That settles it! I will let Dolores and Larry know we made the decision to join and will
follow up with instructions for everyone during our next meeting. Thank you everyone for your
willingness to fight for what’s right, even though it may be a daunting situation to be in.
[Cesar heads over to speak with Larry and Dolores]
Larry: Cesar! I’m glad to see you. How did my proposition go over with your group?
Cesar: You’re in luck, Larry. I guess I was wrong about how NWFA would react. They are more
than happy to work with you and AWOC.
Dolores: I knew it! Those men are always willing to take a stand for what they believe in. I’m
looking forward to continuing working with you, Larry. We have had a lot of success with AWOC
this far and the numbers from NWFA will only help up.
Larry: I agree, Dolores. This is great news. I appreciate you being open to this opportunity,
Cesar. I know it was a difficult decision to make but I trust it will all be worth it. So, how do we
want to organize our strikes? There are thousands of us now, so it will be a lot to take care of.
Cesar: You’re completely right, Larry. Getting everyone to be on the same page about wanting to
participate is just the first step for our progress. I have a feeling that this is going to take a while.
We have three main groups that we need to work with… the farm workers, farm owners, and the
public.
Dolores: Exactly. The farm workers, along with our guidance as leaders, need to decide how to
strike. Since there are so many of us spread out across multiple farms, what would be the best
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16. way to get everyone to participate in their own individual strikes?
Larry: There is no way we can all strike at the same time. Let’s start small, like Dolores is
suggesting. I think one thing workers can do at their respective farms is have picket lines. I’ve
seen it work to gain attention as well as make a statement, since they would have to stop working
during these times.
Cesar: Yes, that sounds like a great start. We should organize which farm workers will strike on
which days, so our message gets across multiple farms for a long time. Long enough to finally be
heard, that is. How do we show our support as leaders to all of the men supporting this
movement? We can’t be in multiple places at once.
Dolores: Do you two have cars you can use to transport supplies? Or know anyone that does?
Cesar: Yes, I have access to cars.
Larry: Me too, what supplies are you thinking of supplying?
Dolores: We can bring the pickets to the strikers, so that way they can still boycott working at
places where the farm owners are trying to use strikebreakers.
Cesar: That’s a great idea, Dolores. Thank you for bringing that up, I hadn’t thought about that
yet. What if things start getting out of hand? I do not want us to have to resort to violence. In
fact, I think we all need to agree that all of our fellow men, Filipino or Chicano, should agree to
remain nonviolent.
Larry: It is hard to agree to that because of how passionate I am about how we are being treated.
However, I agreed to work together in this partnership, which is why I will agree with you. I’m
sure we will all have to make compromises with each other if we really want this movement to
work.
Cesar: I appreciate your willingness to work things out, Larry.
Dolores: It looks like we’re all on the same page. To answer your question, Cesar, I think we
need to eventually think about unionizing. I will admit, though, that it is sort of early in the
process to think about creating a formal union. Let’s focus on just organizing these starting
events first, and then work on unionizing.
Larry: I agree. We will definitely have to work out a union of some sorts, but for now, let’s talk
about strategies to reach out to the rest of the American public. I know all of us here are
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17. passionate about raising our wages and better working conditions, but how do we get people
who are not directly affected by this reality to truly care?
Cesar: A similar situation is already happening around us. Haven’t you seen the work by Civil
Rights activists recently?
Dolores: You’re completely right. The Civil Rights movement, though met with so much
resistance, has already done so much for the black community, especially for those who live in
the South. Seeing them succeed even through all of the pushback against them makes me feel
hopeful for our future as we merge are organizations together.
Larry: I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Cesar: Yes, I definitely see that happening currently. Great point. The main thing that the
American public has to do is to focus on what they can do as individuals at home. Not everyone
has the ability to strike… but the next best thing is boycotting.
Dolores: Are you suggesting we urge the American public to boycott grapes?
Cesar: Exactly.
Larry: Brilliant! Without consumers, farm owners do not have a reason to keep producing. By
the time they catch on, they will hopefully realize that it makes the most sense for them to just
give us fair wages rather than losing out on revenue.
Cesar: That really sounds like it could work. It’s minimal effort from the public but a big loss for
farm owners, so I have a feeling this will truly make a difference.
Dolores: I really hope so. Us three, along with so many others, have worked so hard to get to
where we are. Yet, there is still a lot of work to be done.
Larry: The best thing we can do is continue meeting up and working together. I can’t believe we
hadn’t tried fighting alongside each other before this. After all, we all have the same goals and
the more minds and manpower we have on our side, the better.
Cesar: I’m sorry it took this long to collaborate. I really did not think we would be ready to take
such big steps, but we need to get what we deserve sooner rather than later.
Larry: You took the words right out of my mouth, Cesar.
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18. Dolores: I am so happy to see we’re all on the same page…while we’re talking about our
situation being a time-sensitive issue, I think it would be a great idea to talk about unionizing as
soon as we all have the time to. Protesting and boycotting are essential parts to our operation,
but so is being organized and becoming official. That way, we will be taken more seriously by the
general public and by those who can make changes.
Cesar: You’re right about that, Dolores.
Larry: It sounds hard but I 100% agree with that. Let’s get to making change, everyone.
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19. Act III: Dolores, Cesar, Larry meet with workers who are thinking about unionizing
After successfully negotiating a collective bargaining agreement for grape farm workers after the
long Delano Grape Strike and boycott and forming the United Farm Workers organizing
committee, Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, and Larry Itliong continue their union organizing
and continue fighting for farm workers’rights. After the end of the grape strike in 1970, the
UFW began a strike against lettuce growers which came to be known as the Salad Bowl Strike,
and the largest farm worker strike in United States history.
Scene: Dolores, Cesar, and Larry travel to various farm sites in California and speak to the farm
workers about the need to unionize and fight against the exploitation of farm workers. It is a hot
summer day in California and crowds are gathered on the side of lettuce fields, listening to
Dolores, Cesar, and Larry speak. The crowd of farm workers in Salinas Valley (who are
supposed to be the audience) are thinking about unionizing so they ask Cesar, Dolores, and
Larry questions about unionizing and what it means to join the UFW.
Cesar: Hello and thank you all for gathering here today! I am Cesar Chavez, here with my fellow
co-founders of the United Farm Workers, Dolores Huerta and Larry Itliolong. We are here today
to invite you to join us in our fight for farm worker rights.
Dolores: For far too long, our people have worked these fields and fed the stomachs of
Americans with the fruit of our labor, yet we have not been treated fairly or compensated for our
hard work. We ask you today, are you willing to fight for your own rights? Because we have not
and will not be given anything by the kindness of the hearts of these growers.
Larry: People, workers are on the rise! We will prevail, and our hard work will be recognized.
We come here after five long years of protest at our grape strike in Delano. Through our strikes,
marches, community organizing, resistance, and boycotts, we were able to secure a 40 cent pay
increase, health benefits and safety protections for our farm workers.
Cesar: We can do this again for you! We will not continue to allow our communities to labor in
fields without union representation or collective bargaining rights. Our time is now, are you all
in?
Audience member/farmer: All of those benefits and pay increases do sound nice, but it is just too
dangerous for us to try to unionize. I have a family and children at home who depend on me to
work in these fields to support them. I can’t risk losing my job because I went against the big
man.
Dolores: My friend, I understand your concern and hesitation. It will not be easy to go against
18
20. our growers and fight for our rights. But it is a risk that many were willing to take at Delano,
and their hard work was successful.
Audience member/farmer: But what if they fire all of us who are trying to unionize and hire
others? We are easily replaceable to growers. They don’t care about us, they just need a pair of
hands to harvest their crops.
Audience member/farmer: Yeah he’s right! It’s been done before. What if we all lose our jobs?
Larry: We are all fighting together. Before we joined forces to create the United Farm Workers,
Mexican-American workers were used to break Filipino strikes, Filipino workers were used to
break Mexican-American strikes, and Mexican Braceros were used to break strikes earlier too.
Now, we have the power of unity on our side, and if we all continue to work together and agree
to strike together like we did in Delano, they will have no choice but to listen to us.
Cesar: That’s right. Friends, I understand your hesitation. I had the same concern when Larry
and the AWOC approached me a few years ago to strike with them at Delano. But we persisted
and we succeeded in getting our growers to negotiate with us. We want the same for you, too.
Dolores: You deserve to be paid more, to get health benefits, and to work safely in these fields.
We need you all to join us in the fight for your rights. Your conditions can only be changed by
one group of people: yourselves.
Audience member/farmer: If we join you, what will we do to get our bosses to actually listen to
us?
Larry: We saw our work in Delano succeed. We will do the same here and pressure growers to
negotiate with us. We will march off these lettuce fields and demand rights.
Cesar: We will boycott these corporations that continue to exploit us and they will hear our
anger the only way they know how to listen: through their loss of profits.
Larry: That’s right. If we march off these fields right now, these growers will not know what hit
them. Friends, we have the power to stop shipments of lettuce and triple the cost of lettuce for
these corporations.
Cesar: Without us, growers will have no choice but to listen to us and agree to our demands.
Dolores: We are not saying it will be easy. In Delano, we faced violence from growers and
police. They wanted to intimidate us because they thought we were weak and that we would
19
21. simply walk back into their fields with our tails between our legs. But, friends, we are not weak!
We will endure these challenges and we will prevail.
Audience member/farmer: I’m starting to like the idea of this. If it worked for them in Delano,
why can’t we do it here! I’m tired of getting paid little to nothing and being scared for my own
safety while working.
Audience member/farmer: Yeah, me too! I’m with you guys. How do we sign up?
Larry: We are so glad you have all decided to join us. On August 23, join us by walking off these
very fields. We will show these growers that we are to be taken seriously.
Dolores: We will also be marching from San Francisco to Modesto, and hope to count on your
support.
Cesar: We will put an end to this exploitation. Our communities deserve better. You deserve
better. And now is your time to demand change for yourself.
Audience member/farmer: You can count on us to march off these fields and strike! We are with
you!
Audience member/farmer: Yeah! We’ll also be marching by you from San Francisco! These
growers won’t be able to bring us back to these fields without listening to our demands.
Cesar: We are thrilled you will be marching alongside us! Together, we will achieve our goals of
better working conditions, the right to representation through unionization, and higher wages,
just as we did in Delano.
Audience member/farmer: We are all in. I hope our striking and boycotting won’t take as long as
it did in Delano, but we are willing to see this through. We are willing to face violence and
anything else we may face along the way.
Audience member/farmer: That’s right. We understand the risks with being associated with the
UFW, but we strongly believe we hold the power to make our own change. But, will these strikes
or marches or boycotts spark any violence?
Cesar: Absolutely not. At least from our end, we only wish to be heard. I have preached
non-violent means of protest for years and your safety is a top priority for us.
Dolores: That’s right. All the violence we have encountered has not been started by us. We do not
20
22. wish to endanger anyone in our organization. However, the growers and corporations do not
want to see us win, so they will probably use violent tactics to intimidate us like they have done
before.
Audience member/farmer: We recognize these risks, and we still want to march alongside you.
We are growing tired of these abuses and we want to demand our own rights!
Dolores: Wonderful. Welcome to the UFW! ¡Viva la huelga! ¡Viva la causa!
Audience members/farmers: ¡Viva la huelga! ¡Viva la causa!
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23. Appendices
We mostly drew from our primary sources to come up with the structure of our program,
and we drew on secondary sources to structure our characters and their dialogue. For example,
we used the “Boycott Grapes - Viva La Causa” button and the “Boycott Grapes Protest” button
in our first act to show the audience what workers who went on strike wore in support of the
Delano grape strike. Additionally, we drew from various photos of Cesar, Dolores, and Larry for
our costumes for our video presentation. Alyssa wore a button down shirt, as Larry was often
seen in button downs as seen in the biography page about him. Miguel wore a button down and a
jean jacket, as Cesar is seen in similar attire in the United Farm Workers poster from the National
Museum of American History’s online archives. Andrea wore a blouse, as seen in an image of
Dolores Huerta from the Dolores Huerta Foundation’s web page.
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24. Bibliography
Primary Sources:
“Azada de Mango Corto,” ID number: 1998.0197.01, accession number: 1998.0197, catalog
number: 1998.0197.01. National Museum of American History.
https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_694880.
“Boycott Grapes - Viva La Causa Button,” ID number: PL.296849.01, accession number:
296849, catalog number: 296849.01. National Museum of American History.
https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_529613.
“Boycott Grapes Protest Button,” ID number: 2012.0036.06, accession number: 2012.0036,
catalog number: 2012.0036.06. National Museum of American History.
https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1422164.
“Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez in Sacramento,” Bay Area Television Archive.
https://diva.sfsu.edu/collections/sfbatv/bundles/185999.
“From the Archives: The Lettuce Strike of 1973,” University of Colorado, Boulder.
https://www.colorado.edu/libraries/2018/03/31/archives-lettuce-strike-1973.
Huerta, Dolores. “NFWA March and Rally - April 10, 1966,” (Sacramento, California).
https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/2017/03/09/nfwa-march-and-rally-april-10-1966/.
“Photograph of Larry Itliong during the Delano Grape Strikes, 1965,” UC Davis, Welga Project,
Filipino American Archive and Repository. Linda Mabalot papers.
https://calisphere.org/item/da749d81921f94c856d34b95e06d2877/.
“Si Se Puede, Boycott Lettuce and Grapes Poster,” ID number: 1977.0660.08, accession number:
1977.0660, catalog number: 1977.0660.08. National Museum of American History.
https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_518598.
Trikosko, Marion S, photographer. Grape Strike and Boycott, bumper sticker, 1970.
https://www.loc.gov/item/2016646403/.
“United Farm Workers Poster,” ID number: PL.296849.35, accession number: 296849, catalog
number: 296849.35. National Museum of American History.
https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_541077
Secondary Sources:
“Delano Manongs,” May 6, 2014. PBS.
https://www.pbs.org/video/kvie-viewfinder-delano-manongs/.
“Dolores Huerta,” Dolores Huerta Foundation, https://doloreshuerta.org/doloreshuerta/.
Guillermo, Emil. “Eclipsed by Cesar Chavez, Larry Itliong’s Story Now Emerges,” September 8,
23
25. 2015,
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/eclipsed-cesar-chavez-larry-itliongs-story-now-e
merges-n423336.
Janos, Adam. “How Cesar Chavez Joined Larry Itliong to Demand Farm Workers’ Rights,” May
6, 2019, https://www.history.com/news/chavez-itliong-delano-grape-strike.
Kamisugi, Keith. “Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, Larry Itliolong,” Equal Justice Society, March
28, 2019, https://equaljusticesociety.org/2018/03/29/cesar-chavez-dolores-huerta-larry-itliong/.
Kim, Inga. “The 1965-1970 Delano Grape Strike and Boycott,” United Farm Workers, March 7,
2017, https://ufw.org/1965-1970-delano-grape-strike-boycott/.
“Larry Itliong,” May 7, 2021, https://www.biography.com/activist/larry-itliong.
Smithsonian Folklife, “Filipinos in the UFW Movement: Agustín Lira & Patricia Wells
Solórzano on Larry Itliong,” YouTube video, 5 minute and 50 seconds, July 19, 2019,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8T9bpUzCJhA.
“UFW History,” United Farm Workers, https://ufw.org/research/history/ufw-history/.
“Workers United: The Delano Grape Strike and Boycott,” Cesar E. Chavez National Monument,
National Park Service,
https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/workers-united-the-delano-grape-strike-and-boycott.htm.
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