Center- K-12 Teacher Institute Lesson Plan

Title of Lesson: Exploring and through the Delano March and the Plight of Farmworkers Lesson By: Rosa Clara Salazar Grade Level/ Subject Areas: Class Size: Time/ Duration of Lesson: High School: 9th grade Any Size 2/ 90-minute class periods + World Geography research time Goals/ Objectives of Lesson:  To acquaint students with the life of Cesar Chavez  To understand the concepts of ahimsa (nonviolence) as applied by Cesar Chavez  To identify the physical geography and climatic regions of California  To examine the cultural geography of Mexican farm workers Lesson Abstract: Students will read a short biography of Cesar Chavez and the plight of farm workers in California. They will learn about the Delano March and explore the concept of ahimsa (nonviolence). Students will also learn about the physical geography of California and its climatic zones. Furthermore, students will research the living conditions, customs and traditions of the Mexican farm workers, and compare and contrast the attitudes and beliefs of the growers and the farm workers.

Lesson Content: Cesar Chavez and the Power of Nonviolence The story of Cesar Chavez begins in a small farm near Yuma, Arizona. He was born on March 31, 1927. Lamentably, his story also ends in the small town of San Luis near Yuma, Arizona. Cesar Chavez died peacefully in his sleep on March 31, 1993 while waiting to testify at a lawsuit by Bruce Church Inc. He died with an art history book in his hands, epitomizing his voracity for lifelong learning. Cesar Chavez has been the best known defender of the rights of the farm workers in the history of this country. He united thousands of farm workers into a powerful union that used boycotts and peaceful protests to convince agribusiness producers to improve working conditions. He accomplished what had never been done before and most importantly, he accomplished it nonviolently. When Cesar was 10 years old, his family lost their farm during the Great Depression when his father was unable to pay the interest on their home loan. They became migrant workers and went to California. As farm workers they encountered deplorable conditions. They had to rent shacks from the growers. Neither running water nor bathrooms were available. Many were exploited by their bosses and worked unbearably long hours in the heat without breaks or water. His family worked in fields from Brawley to Oxnard, Atascadero, Gonzales, King City, Salinas, McFarland, Delano, Wasco, Selma, Kingsburg, and Mendota. As a result of this, Cesar attended 37 different elementary and middle schools. He ended his education in the 8th grade in order to work in the fields to support his family. His mother and grandmother were compelling influences on his life. They taught him and service to others. In his words:

Our mother used to say there is a difference between being of service and being a servant…mother taught us not to be afraid to fight—to stand up for our rights. But she also taught us not to be violent.

Page 1 of 6 They also taught him a great sense of . One cannot understand Chavez without knowing the importance of spirituality to him. This will be a driving force later in his life. Bill Monning, attorney for the , illustrates this best when he says:

I was fed spiritually by a powerful new ally and role model – Cesar Chávez. Cesar practiced and as a means to focus the movement on nonviolence and a form of ‘spiritual activism’ that nourished a movement with little material resources.

In 1952, Chavez began working for the Community Service Organization under Fred Ross, who was to become his lifetime friend. It was here he realized that the farm workers would never be able to solve the problems plaguing them unless they organized. Cesar quit his job and moved his family to Delano, California where he began organizing the workers.

In 1962, the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) was founded with Chavez as its president. It would later become the United Farm Workers (UFW). Their slogan became “Viva La Causa.” In 1965, Chavez joined forces with the Filipino farm workers and went on strike against the growers. This became known as the Delano Grape Strike. The farm workers were asking for better conditions, including an end to the spraying of pesticides while they were working in the fields. The growers used many tactics to scare the strikers and picketers, including shotguns, dogs, and spraying pesticides on them. Chavez, thoroughly influenced by Gandhi and the use of nonviolence, urged the strikers not to use violence. He taught the workers how to react and act peacefully, much like Gandhi trained his satyagrahis in the ashrams.

Nonviolence is more powerful than violence. We are convinced that nonviolence supports you if you have a just and moral cause. Nonviolence gives the opportunity to stay on the offensive, which is of vital importance to win any contest. -Chavez

In March 1966, Cesar Chavez organized a march, which he referred to as a peregrinacion or six months after the Delano Grape Strike. He modeled it after the Mexican values of pilgrimage, penitence, and revolution. The marchers were led by the banner of the Virgen de Guadalupe. The march would take Cesar and his initial 70 supporters along a 350 mile route to Sacramento to voice their grievances before the governor of California. They traveled at a rate of 3 ½ miles per hour and stopped at fifty-three towns along the way. Cesar had sprained his ankle along the route and was asked many times to give up the march. He gave an unyielding no. For him, to suffer from fatigue, pain, and thirst was necessary to induce self-reflection in order to examine one’s motives and purify oneself from anger and resentment. He evoked the cultural symbolism of the Lenten processions of penitence of Catholicism. and hardship are expressions of penance (Orosco, 2011). Upon arriving in Sacramento on Easter Sunday, his supporters numbered over 10,000. Although the march was successful, the strike continued. As a matter of fact, the strike lasted another 5 years. So why was the march successful? The march brought immediate light to Chavez’s La Causa. The march made the country aware of the farm workers plight. Also during the march, Schenley Industries, one of the struck companies, negotiated the first contract between a grower and a farm worker union in the history of the United States. People all over the United States

Page 2 of 6 and Canada boycotted non-union grapes. It is estimated that almost 17 million people participated in the boycott. His inspired people to reach beyond themselves toward a more meaningful and fulfilling life. Like Gandhi, he believed dignity to be the birthright of all sentient beings and helped people realize how much they shared in common with each other and all other creatures. For Chavez, as for Gandhi, nonviolence was a modus Vivendi. They knew Nonviolence was not a passive force; on the contrary, it was an extremely active one. Throughout his life, Chavez promoted a sustainable way of living. He thought this was necessary to restore the ecological balance of the planet, thus foreshadowing the food justice movement that has sprung in our world today. Many states today honor Chavez by enacting an official holiday in his name which takes place on his birthday. Texas is among those states that do so. He has become an inspirational role model for many, especially for Hispanics in the country. His legacy continues today and you will continue the legacy by learning about him and his spirit of perseverance and nonviolence.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills: World Geography

(1) History. The student understands how geography and processes of spatial exchange (diffusion) influenced events in the past and helped to shape the present. The student is expected to: (A) analyze the effects of physical and human geographic patterns and processes on the past and describe their impact on the present, including significant physical features and environmental conditions that influenced migration patterns and shaped the distribution of culture groups today.

(4) Geography. The student understands the patterns and characteristics of major landforms, climates, and ecosystems of Earth and the interrelated processes that produce them. The student is expected to: (A) explain the influence of climate on the distribution of biomes in different regions.

(7) Geography. The student understands the growth, distribution, movement, and characteristics of world population. The student is expected to: (B) explain how political, economic, social, and environmental push and pull factors and physical geography affect the routes and flows of human migration.

Guiding Questions:

 How do physical and human geography affect people, places, and regions?  How does learning about the historical context of an event help us to better understand it?  Can important changes be made using nonviolence?  What assumptions do people hold about power, authority, governance and law?

Lesson Context: This material can be incorporated in a number of ways. If teaching regionally, it can be used as

Page 3 of 6 part of the lesson when teaching the United States. If teaching thematically, it can be used with the theme of migration. The five themes of geography can also be taught using this lesson.

Teaching Activities: 1. The students will view the Digital Story as in introduction to the theme of nonviolence. 2. The students will read Cesar Chavez and the Power of Nonviolence 3. The students will watch Viva la Causa! from the Southern Poverty Law Center 4. The students will divide into six groups. Each group will research a specific topic to better understand the historical context of Cesar Chavez and the march. Each group will create a visual for classroom display. 5. The teacher will assign the following topics to be researched: 1st group – Map Route of the Delano to Sacramento March

 This group will create a Google Lit Trip tracing the marches route from Delano to Sacramento. 2nd group – Growing Seasons

 California has 12 climatic regions. Your task is to create a map of California’s major vegetable and fruit production regions and should include: o what is grown o where it is grown o when it is planted and harvested o Be sure to tell us about the climate zones. o Remember to include lots of visuals.

3rd group – Living Conditions  This group will investigate the farm workers’ camps and the condition of each including food, water, clothing, shelter, recreation, education.  Remember to include lots of visuals. 4th group – Growers vs. Workers and Labor Unions

 This group will investigate the attitudes and beliefs of these two groups and present both sides and points of view. You may use a T-Chart or Venn diagram or any method you deem relevant.  What caused the farm workers to strike? What did they want?  What prejudices did they encounter?  What is farm workers union? Why was it formed?  What time of year did they choose to strike? Why?  How did the growers/farmers/owners of the farms react to these unions and strikes?

Page 4 of 6  What are some examples of incidents that occurred because of this grower vs. worker conflict? What did Chavez do? Why?  Remember to include visuals. 5th group – Customs and Traditions

 This group will investigate some of the Mexican traditions that were prevalent among the farm workers, especially the use of these in the Delano March.  What is the importance of dichos or Mexican proverbs in the culture?  Remember to include lots of visuals.

6th group – Cesar Chavez’s heritage  This group will investigate how the background and experience of Cesar Chavez influenced the Delano March, his struggle to help the farm workers and his work on nonviolence and design a poster to illustrate that experience.  Although Cesar Chavez only received an 8th grade education, he was a self-didactic. What influence did people like Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. have on him?

6. Group members will work together to present their group’s research to the class while discussing the connection to the use of nonviolence.

Extension Activities/ Enrichment

1. Students can research the people in the Digital Story, explain their connection to nonviolence and present their findings to the class.

2. Students can research migration. The teacher can assign individual case studies and have students classify the type of migration, explain push/pull factors, and answer the following questions:

 What is the impact of this migration on the source area? Give both positive and negative geographic (socio-economic, political and environmental) impacts.  What is the impact on the destination? Give both positive and negative geographic (socio-economic, political and environmental) impacts  What changes have occurred within this migrant group over time or how do you predict that the group will change?  Is there any evidence of viable solutions using nonviolence? If not, can you suggest any?

3. Students can compare Gandhi’s Salt March and Chavez’s Delano March.

 How were the movements the same?

Page 5 of 6  How were the movements different?  What did the movements achieve?

Bibliography:

Cesar E. Chavez foundation. (2008). Retrieved from http://chavezfoundation.org/.

Orosco, J.A. “Immigration and a Culture of Peace.” Ahimsa Center Summer Institute for K-12 Educators. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. 31 July 2011.

Thomas, M. (n.d.). Cesar Chavez: A legacy of animal advocacy. Retrieved from http://www.idausa.org/feature_060328.html

2006 Cesar Chavez day of service and learning. (2006, March). Retrieved from http://chavezfoundation.org/pdf/2006%20Chavez%20Day%20March.pdf

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