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An Organizer's Tale: Speeches
The first major collection of writings by civil rights leader Cesar Chavez
One of the most important civil rights leaders in American history, Cesar Chavez was a firm believer in the principles of nonviolence, and he effectively employed peaceful tactics to further his cause. Through his efforts, he helped achieve dignity, fair wages, benefits, and humane working conditions for hundreds of thousands of farm workers. This extensive collection of Chavez's speeches and writings chronicles his progression and development as a leader, and includes previously unpublished material. From speeches to spread the word of the Delano Grape Strike to testimony before the House of Representatives about the hazards of pesticides, Chavez communicated in clear, direct language and motivated people everywhere with an unflagging commitment to his ideals.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
One of the most important civil rights leaders in American history, Cesar Chavez was a firm believer in the principles of nonviolence, and he effectively employed peaceful tactics to further his cause. Through his efforts, he helped achieve dignity, fair wages, benefits, and humane working conditions for hundreds of thousands of farm workers. This extensive collection of Chavez's speeches and writings chronicles his progression and development as a leader, and includes previously unpublished material. From speeches to spread the word of the Delano Grape Strike to testimony before the House of Representatives about the hazards of pesticides, Chavez communicated in clear, direct language and motivated people everywhere with an unflagging commitment to his ideals.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
288 pages, Paperback
First published April 29, 2008
17 people are currently reading
1125 people want to read
About the author
César Chávez
15 books28 followersA true American hero, Cesar was a civil rights, Latino and farm labor leader; a genuinely religious and spiritual figure; a community organizer and social entrepreneur; a champion of militant nonviolent social change; and a crusader for the environment and consumer rights.
A first-generation American, he was born on March 31, 1927, near his family's small homestead in the North Gila River Valley outside Yuma, Arizona. At age 11, his family lost the farm during the Great Depression and became migrant farm workers. Throughout his youth and into adulthood, Cesar traveled the migrant streams throughout California laboring in the fields, orchards and vineyards, where he was exposed to the hardships and injustices of farm worker life.
After attending numerous schools as the family migrated, Cesar finished his formal education after the eighth grade and worked the fields full-time to help support his family. Although his formal education ended then, he later satisfied an insatiable intellectual curiosity and was self-taught on an eclectic range of subjects through reading during the rest of his life.
Cesar joined the U.S. Navy in 1946, in the aftermath of World War II, and served in the Western Pacific. He returned from the service in 1948 to marry Helen Fabela, whom he met while working in fields and vineyards around Delano. The Chavez family soon settled in the poor East San Jose barrio of Sal Si Puedes (Get Out if You Can), and eventually had eight children and 31 grandchildren.
The significance of Cesar's life transcends any one cause or struggle. He was a unique and humble leader as well as a great humanitarian and communicator who influenced and inspired millions of Americans from all walks of life to social and political activism, especially for the poor and disenfranchised in our society. Cesar forged a national and extraordinarily diverse coalition for farm worker boycotts that included students, middle class consumers, trade unionists, religious activists and minorities.
Cesar passed away peacefully in his sleep on April 23, 1993, in the small farm worker town of San Luis, Arizona, not far from where he was born 66 years earlier on the family homestead. More than 50,000 people attended his funeral services in Delano, the same community in which he had planted the seeds of social justice decades before.
Cesar's motto "Si se puede!" ("Yes, it can be done!"), coined during his 1972 fast in Arizona's mbodies the uncommon legacy he left for people around the world. Since his death, hundreds of communities across the nation have named schools, parks, streets, libraries, and other public facilities as well as awards and scholarships in his honor. His birthday, March 31, is an official holiday in 10 states. In 1994, President Clinton posthumously awarded Cesar the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, at the White House.
He liked to say his job as an organizer was helping ordinary people do extraordinary things. Cesar made everyone, especially the farm workers, feel the jobs they were doing in the movement were important. It didn't matter if they were lawyers working in the courtroom or cooking to feed the people in the strike kitchen.
He showed the farm workers they could win against great odds, even if they were poor and weren't able to go to school. By giving people faith helping them believe in themselves Cesar succeeded where so many others failed for 100 years to organize farm workers. That is why he was able to do the impossible by challenging, and overcoming, the awesome power of one of California's richest industries.
Cesar Chavez's common man with an uncommon vision stood for equality, justice, and dignity for all Americans. His universal principles remain as relevant and inspiring today for all people as they were when he was alive.
A first-generation American, he was born on March 31, 1927, near his family's small homestead in the North Gila River Valley outside Yuma, Arizona. At age 11, his family lost the farm during the Great Depression and became migrant farm workers. Throughout his youth and into adulthood, Cesar traveled the migrant streams throughout California laboring in the fields, orchards and vineyards, where he was exposed to the hardships and injustices of farm worker life.
After attending numerous schools as the family migrated, Cesar finished his formal education after the eighth grade and worked the fields full-time to help support his family. Although his formal education ended then, he later satisfied an insatiable intellectual curiosity and was self-taught on an eclectic range of subjects through reading during the rest of his life.
Cesar joined the U.S. Navy in 1946, in the aftermath of World War II, and served in the Western Pacific. He returned from the service in 1948 to marry Helen Fabela, whom he met while working in fields and vineyards around Delano. The Chavez family soon settled in the poor East San Jose barrio of Sal Si Puedes (Get Out if You Can), and eventually had eight children and 31 grandchildren.
The significance of Cesar's life transcends any one cause or struggle. He was a unique and humble leader as well as a great humanitarian and communicator who influenced and inspired millions of Americans from all walks of life to social and political activism, especially for the poor and disenfranchised in our society. Cesar forged a national and extraordinarily diverse coalition for farm worker boycotts that included students, middle class consumers, trade unionists, religious activists and minorities.
Cesar passed away peacefully in his sleep on April 23, 1993, in the small farm worker town of San Luis, Arizona, not far from where he was born 66 years earlier on the family homestead. More than 50,000 people attended his funeral services in Delano, the same community in which he had planted the seeds of social justice decades before.
Cesar's motto "Si se puede!" ("Yes, it can be done!"), coined during his 1972 fast in Arizona's mbodies the uncommon legacy he left for people around the world. Since his death, hundreds of communities across the nation have named schools, parks, streets, libraries, and other public facilities as well as awards and scholarships in his honor. His birthday, March 31, is an official holiday in 10 states. In 1994, President Clinton posthumously awarded Cesar the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, at the White House.
He liked to say his job as an organizer was helping ordinary people do extraordinary things. Cesar made everyone, especially the farm workers, feel the jobs they were doing in the movement were important. It didn't matter if they were lawyers working in the courtroom or cooking to feed the people in the strike kitchen.
He showed the farm workers they could win against great odds, even if they were poor and weren't able to go to school. By giving people faith helping them believe in themselves Cesar succeeded where so many others failed for 100 years to organize farm workers. That is why he was able to do the impossible by challenging, and overcoming, the awesome power of one of California's richest industries.
Cesar Chavez's common man with an uncommon vision stood for equality, justice, and dignity for all Americans. His universal principles remain as relevant and inspiring today for all people as they were when he was alive.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 10, 2015
These collected speeches, statements and articles by Cesar Chavez are not the testament of a soaring orator, or a social theorist. They are the testament of a gifted and visionary Organiser who thought a great deal about what he was doing, why he was doing it, and how others of similar background to him could do it too.
Chavez and the California Farm Workers Union are a classic case of 'like talking to like' Organising. Hispanic farm workers approached by Chavez would have no doubt that they were talking to someone who shared their experience of poverty and exploitation. That was why Chavez could demand, and receive, such strong commitment from poor workers who joined their union.
Chavez was convinced that there were no shortcuts in Organising. That was his argument for a philosophy of nonviolence in protest and resistance. That was also why he criticized the role of money in organizing campaigns. He hated when campaigns ground to a halt because they 'ran out of money'. He refused big donations for Farm Worker Union campaigns, preferring to raise money directly from the workers themselves. He even asked workers for food during long Organising drives, despite those workers barely being able to feed themselves. By making the personal sacrifice, workers became truly invested in the success of their union. Chavez made a personal example of sacrifice through numerous hunger strikes for various union causes throughout his career before he died in 1993.
Chavez offers an alternative to the various 'technocratic' versions of Organising embraced by modern unions, with their focus on questions of resources, communications and decision frameworks. Chavez drew upon the language and culture of Hispanic Catholicism to make the case for asking people to make personal sacrifices for 'la causa' (the cause). It was a difficult ask even within Chavez's cultural context, however he recognized that unless workers were prepared to make sacrifices they did not have a union. The duty of organizers is to be honest with workers about what they need to do.
Chavez and the California Farm Workers Union are a classic case of 'like talking to like' Organising. Hispanic farm workers approached by Chavez would have no doubt that they were talking to someone who shared their experience of poverty and exploitation. That was why Chavez could demand, and receive, such strong commitment from poor workers who joined their union.
Chavez was convinced that there were no shortcuts in Organising. That was his argument for a philosophy of nonviolence in protest and resistance. That was also why he criticized the role of money in organizing campaigns. He hated when campaigns ground to a halt because they 'ran out of money'. He refused big donations for Farm Worker Union campaigns, preferring to raise money directly from the workers themselves. He even asked workers for food during long Organising drives, despite those workers barely being able to feed themselves. By making the personal sacrifice, workers became truly invested in the success of their union. Chavez made a personal example of sacrifice through numerous hunger strikes for various union causes throughout his career before he died in 1993.
Chavez offers an alternative to the various 'technocratic' versions of Organising embraced by modern unions, with their focus on questions of resources, communications and decision frameworks. Chavez drew upon the language and culture of Hispanic Catholicism to make the case for asking people to make personal sacrifices for 'la causa' (the cause). It was a difficult ask even within Chavez's cultural context, however he recognized that unless workers were prepared to make sacrifices they did not have a union. The duty of organizers is to be honest with workers about what they need to do.
April 14, 2025
Great view into Chavez's life, introduction to and practice of migrant farm worker organizing and philosophy. Also inspired in the reader more empathy for and understanding of the struggles of farm workers and a peak into troubles with the mass agricultural industry.
March 7, 2020
A good and special read for a time such as now. Always inspired by the words of an organizer.
February 13, 2017
I was deeply moved by Cesar Chavez's story. He was a civil rights activist and labor movement leader who founded the United Farm Workers of America in 1962. Through his speeches (many of which were repetitive from previous ones), I was able to capture his endless devotion to the work, which, in essence, was a revolution.
His commitment to confronting racial and socio-economic injustice in the midst of a labor crisis in which workers were exploited was done with the practice of creative non-violence, and with humility. He also addressed environmental impact on pesticides on farm workers and consumers, despite this news falling on deaf ears for years. I contend that his contribution to a national movement paved the way for many Latinos, many of whom were underrepresented and had little influence in the social and political arena in the past. His fight was not exclusive to Mexican farm laborers, as she pointed out that fighting for justice affects us everyone.
It is questionable that due to the current political climate of the U.S in the midst of a global economy whether these acts of civil disobedience mentioned in his speeches are as effective as they were over 30 years ago. (Is social media the new medium for activism?) But Mr. Chavez knew where he stood, and took the tools of oppression and used it to organize and mobilize a segment of our nation that has endured the painful and long-standing irony of risking their lives toiling fields and harvesting produce to growers and buyers but rarely have the means to provide for their own families.
As a person who has been involved in community organizing efforts, I felt, to some extent that his speeches are an unofficial guide of community organizing; he highlighted the challenges of mobilizing a group of people and work towards a common cause, found techniques to market and communicate to a group that has been socially disenfranchised and encouraging them. After reading the collection of speeches, I was left with this message: that with perseverance, patience and humility, things are possible.
His commitment to confronting racial and socio-economic injustice in the midst of a labor crisis in which workers were exploited was done with the practice of creative non-violence, and with humility. He also addressed environmental impact on pesticides on farm workers and consumers, despite this news falling on deaf ears for years. I contend that his contribution to a national movement paved the way for many Latinos, many of whom were underrepresented and had little influence in the social and political arena in the past. His fight was not exclusive to Mexican farm laborers, as she pointed out that fighting for justice affects us everyone.
It is questionable that due to the current political climate of the U.S in the midst of a global economy whether these acts of civil disobedience mentioned in his speeches are as effective as they were over 30 years ago. (Is social media the new medium for activism?) But Mr. Chavez knew where he stood, and took the tools of oppression and used it to organize and mobilize a segment of our nation that has endured the painful and long-standing irony of risking their lives toiling fields and harvesting produce to growers and buyers but rarely have the means to provide for their own families.
As a person who has been involved in community organizing efforts, I felt, to some extent that his speeches are an unofficial guide of community organizing; he highlighted the challenges of mobilizing a group of people and work towards a common cause, found techniques to market and communicate to a group that has been socially disenfranchised and encouraging them. After reading the collection of speeches, I was left with this message: that with perseverance, patience and humility, things are possible.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 4, 2019
I have been soaking my head in Cesar Chavez for almost a month now, and it was good to end my time on him by going directly to his own words. This collection of speeches from Chavez starts with one of his first big speeches in 1965 and ends with the eulogy for his mentor, Fred Ross, just before Cesar Chavez would die himself. Many of these speeches are very good, even visionary. Indeed, the speeches towards the end could sound like a speech given by a current Latino leader today. It’s eerie how much has and has not changed in America. As good as this collection is though, there were several spelling errors and historical inaccuracies throughout this book. All of them were small errors that should’ve been fixed, but weren’t. Just be aware of them before going into this book.
March 16, 2022
This was an interesting book to read for my Chicano lit class. Though enjoyable at times with how relevant it still is today, Chavez does lean very heavily into his Christian background where his speeches are very much like sermons, which I didn't mind, until it dove too far with cramming religion down my throat. I am fine with others being religious, but I, myself, am not, and always joke that I'm pretty much a godless heathen. Either way, this was a good read, if a little too Jesus-y, and remains thoroughly relevant to todays times with how corporations prefer to exploit their workers and prevent unions from being formed.
June 25, 2008
An excellent collection of Chavez's speeches that will hopefully make his message of nonviolent social change more accessible to the American public. Check out the wonderful essay "What is Democracy? in which Chavez takes on the idea of immigration as a social phenomena that can strengthen the American political system.
June 4, 2019
This book is a reminder and a warning from the not so distant past about the kind of greed for profit that causes the heartless mistreatment of others even in supposedly civilized countries and societies.
November 27, 2020
A great compilation of speeches and writings by a great organizer and civil rights leader. A powerful and informational read
August 7, 2024
Well, I can honestly say I have a new idol.
This book tells a fantastic story of making changes on society in a non violent and effective way. The quotes are insightful and the general focus upon compassion is inspiring. Would recommend
This book tells a fantastic story of making changes on society in a non violent and effective way. The quotes are insightful and the general focus upon compassion is inspiring. Would recommend
August 20, 2025
A nice histo-biographical book. Useful for identifying themes in one community’s struggle for social justice.
September 26, 2008
a great read.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews