“In His Own Words: The Life and Work of César Chávez

This exhibit will be on display from August 2, 2023 through August 31, 2023.

Throughout his youth and into young adulthood, César Chávez experienced the hardships of being a migrant farm worker and the sting of racial discrimination. Motivated by a dream of justice and equality, Chávez dedicated himself to community organizing activities and, later, to founding the first farm workers’ union. He developed strategies to effect the change he envisioned, which were inspired by the principles of his parents, the teachings of Catholicism and his mentors and the study of successful civil rights leaders. Utilizing strikes, boycotts, marches and other nonviolent tactics, Chávez worked tirelessly to secure better pay, job safety, improved living conditions and other essential protections for farm workers. Featuring thirty-eight photographs paired with excerpts from his dynamic speeches, interviews and authoritative writings, “In His Own Words” documents the full course of Chávez’s remarkable career and examines the life experiences and philosophical influences that drove him to dedicate himself fully to improving the lives of American farm workers.