Director Diego Luna celebrated today’s nationwide release of his movie “Cesar Chavez” by dropping by LA’s City Hall to visit with Councilmember Gilbert Cedillo. The visit coincides with the Cesar Chavez holiday celebrated on March 31st, which commemorates the civil rights and labor leader whose trailblazing determination ushered in a new era of struggle for agricultural workers in the United States.
The film, starring Michael Pena as Cesar Chavez and Rosario Dawson as celebrated labor leader Dolores Huerta, follows Mr. Chavez over eight years of grassroots struggle for better wages and fair treatment for farmworkers, chronicling his 25-day hunger strike and years-long battle with California grape growers, culminating in the 1970 signing of the first contracts between farm workers and their employers. A special screening last week in Delano, California brought together 1,200 farmworkers from surrounding counties in the very union hall where those first contracts were signed, and which may soon become part of a national historic park honoring the memory of Cesar Chavez and the countless UFW workers who fought alongside him.
Cesar Chavez holds an important place in California history as a dynamic, outspoken leader for farmworkers and an instrumental figure in the foundation of the United Farm Workers union. His efforts starting in the 1960s until his death in 1993 laid the foundation for the modern farmworker justice movement, and he is remembered for his commitment to social justice, workers’ rights, and non-violent protest.
In honor of the Cesar Chavez holiday, the Empower LA offices will be closed this Monday, March 31 and reopen Tuesday, April 1.
To find out more about the film, click here.
For more information about United Farm Workers, visit ufw.org
