Cesar Chavez
... On March 31st 1927, Caesar Estrada Chavez was born the second of six children, to Librado Chavez and Juana Estrada in Yuma, Arizona. Librado Chavez, who established himself as a hardworking man, operated a general store and was elected postmaster. ... In the end, the Chavez family lost their farm and their belongings. ... Father Donald McDonnell had knocked on the Chavez door on a routine visit to poor people living in the neighborhood. ... Ross’ confidence was not misplaced, as in a short space of time Chavez had helped build the CSO into a powerful organization with several chapters in both California and Arizona. ... As head of CSO, Caesar Chavez involved the organization in a direct head-on confrontation with the power structure of the feudalistic elements in Californias economy. ... After this ridiculous process had transpired time and time again, Chavez one day led a huge group of local workers to the fields, and arranged to have the march covered by the newspapers and TV, as he provided documented evidence that “braceros” were being used while available local workers could not find jobs. ... But as you might expect, when people are helped to advance themselves in society, some of them forget or ignore their past, and some of the CSO members whom Chavez had helped to elevate themselves in the community later balked when Chavez, at a CSO convention, proposed that the CSO continue to use its influence to help poor farm workers. When conservative elements in the CSO refused to support him, Chavez in 1961 resigned his position as director in order to devote all his efforts to helping farm workers. ... Cesar Chavez, with his $50-a-week salary as General Director, became the only farm labor organizer in Californias history whose salary was paid directly by the workers he had organized.