“From the depth of need and despair, people can work together, can organize themselves to solve their own problems and fill their own needs with dignity and strength. ” – Cesar Shaved The quote show how dedicated Cesar Shaved is to hard work and making the world a better place. Cesar was born in Yum, Arizona in 1927 on his grandfather’s farm. Cesar was one of five children he had a happy childhood before the great depression.
His family was forced to leave their farm and move to California with only 40 dollars to their name, Cesar moved between the field and the classroom he attended 36 different schools and dropped out of school in the eighth grade. Cesar Shaved did ten year of community service after a stint In the navy, he then went back to the fruit and vegetable fields he made a choice to do what no one had been able to do before him and organize the farm workers of California. This was big change for them and also the start of Cesar making a change and being a leader.
The governor of California said “the farm workers do not have the power, the rowers do. The growers have the lawyers… They belong to golf clubs, they talk to editors of newspapers… This is power. ” Cesar did not have history on his side many had tried before him and had failed horribly, but he was determined and had faith. In Doc A Cesar repeatedly tells a reported from San Francisco “Is SE puddle” meaning It can be done! The reported watched him and the others sit behind makeshift desk In their shack trying to create an effective farm worker union.
The reporter stated hat he did not think Shaved had a chance to change what could not be done but he was wrong. In Doc B we meet the Maxwell; they came to Keen, California to Join Career’s union. They wanted to Join the union for years and talked about Joining the movement full time, the living conditions they had were not very good but they took was given to them. They room they lived was piled with broken furniture and had empty beer cans, also had ancient obscenities scribbled on the walls but it also had windows and a sink that worked the bathroom and shower was down the corridor.
The reason the living conditions was like that was due to Shave’s determination to keep the union a genuine organ of the poor. In Doc C it shows us how Cesar went on the hunger strike to make a change In a nonviolent way to protest for what is right. This took place in 1970 he had a sit down with the senator at the time Robert F. Kennedy, Robert sat with him to show is support This shows how sincere Cesar was about making a change in a nonviolent way it also shows how important this was to him.
Cesar said “I am convinced that the truest act of courage, the strongest act of manliness Is to sacrifice ourselves for others In a totally nonviolent struggle for justice. To be a man Is to suffer for others. God help us to be men. ” I think the choices Cesar Shaved made, makes him a very effective leader of his 1 OFF he was willing to go to get what he was determined to do. He was successful in what he did, with organizing the farm workers and making the union to keep them organized and together. I think the hunger strike really shows how dedicated he was to his work and how you can make a change in a nonviolent way.
