Heroes for Freedom: Cesar Chavez — Passage and Quiz

Cesar Chavez was born in Arizona in 1927. When he was young, his family lost their farm during the Great Depression. They became migrant farm workers, moving from place to place to find work picking fruits and vegetables. Chavez saw how hard farm workers had to work for very little pay and in unsafe conditions.

As an adult, Chavez decided to fight for the rights of farm workers. He believed in using peaceful methods, like boycotts and strikes, to bring attention to the unfair treatment of workers. In 1962, Chavez co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became a labor union called the United Farm Workers (UFW).

Chavez led many important protests. One of the most famous was the Delano Grape Strike, which lasted for five years. During this time, Chavez went on several hunger strikes to show how serious he was about the cause. His work helped pass laws that improved conditions for farm workers. Chavez's used the famous slogan was "Sí, se puede!" which means "Yes, we can!" in English. He showed that peaceful protest could lead to big changes.