April 6, 2017
On Friday night, La Vanguardia (LV) presented one of their signature programs of the semester: Cine Latino. Historically, Cine Latino began as The Sacramento International Latino Film Festival in 2007. Over time, Cine Latino has grown to be world-wide affaire, celebrating important Latinx films throughout the year.
The e-board members got the night rolling; they popped the corn, laid out Goya cookies and prepared their famous hot chocolate, Chocolate Abuelita. They transformed the Afro LatinX basement into their personalized home theatre. Traditionally, LV allows its audience to choose their film for the night. This year’s choices ranged options such as Selena, Chef, Cuatro Lunas, Frida, and Cesar Chavez.
With a majority vote, Cesar Chavez won. Without the audience knowing, that day, March 31st, was Cesar Chavez Day. It seemed highly appropriate and significant to watch a historical leader for our Latinx people and others to view the history of the National Farmworkers Association, which helped fight racial and economic decriminalization against Chicano residents and, at large, allowed farmers to unionize.
If the farmers unionized, they would have had a collective voice to secure raises and improve working conditions for the Chicano population.
As the movie began, young, passionate Cesar Chavez (portrayed by Michael Peña) revolutionizes and unionizes farm workers for their hard work in the blazing sun. As Chavez saw appropriate, he and his family move to the city of Delano, California to begin the work of changing the racial and economic discrimination against Chicano farm workers. This is when Chavez begins the National Farmworkers Association.
In time, Chavez, as a leader, sees the need to be united with his Filipino siblings, as they too are targeted minorities suffering from harsh racial and economic oppression on farms. Chavez and his union vowed to join a strike that had been initiated by the Filipino farmworkers against Delano’s grape fields. Chavez successfully forges an alliance.
Throughout the film, Chavez urges nonviolent strategies to combat aggressive farm owners and fight the oppression these populations currently face. Many farmers were subjected to terrible working conditions in the blazing sun for long hours without access to water. As Chavez organizes the people, he grows in influence. He leads a march to Sacramento that draws national attention and launches a boycott of California grapes.
Chavez gains a powerful ally, Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Kennedy, engages in congressional hearings. Senator Kennedy promotes the need to fight for what was necessary to move forwards as a united group to develop a just America. During an angry encounter between farm owners and protesters, however, Chavez realizes he has failed in conducting a nonviolent protest to end the racial and economic oppression of his people.
Chavez vows to fast until all his followers swear to continue on their journey without violence. With a 25 day fast, Chavez grows weak. Nonetheless, he successfully encourages his supporters and followers in recommitting to their cause to promote justice for all farmers who were being oppressed and marginalized.
In spite of the progress, everything changes with the assassination of President Kennedy, which brings a cold chill for Chavez’s movement. President Nixon is sworn into office and negotiates with California Grapes. He promises the owners that their product will be sold overseas to their ally, Britain, or bought for the US military. Because of Chavez’s resilient personality and devotion to his movement, he does not give in.
Chavez flies to Britain. He did radio interviews and meets with Britain officials to successfully dismantle President Nixon’s negotiations with California Grapes. Under such pressure from the media and their decline in economic revenue, the owners of California Grapes have no choice but to negotiate with the, now, National Farm Workers Association about their living wages and conditions on their farms.
Cesar Chavez was a hero who learned from his own experiences to promote the necessary change for his people and those who united with us. His experiences and approach with nonviolence protest allowed him to successfully change the conditions of many people, not just for his Chicano people.
With such a great ending of triumph, resilience and justice, Cine Latino proudly presented Cesar Chavez. While watching the film, I was inspired by the work Chavez did for my people. I constantly found myself angered at the outright discrimination and hatred they experienced. The movie proudly gives justice to the injustices of how wealthy, white owners saw and treated mi gente.
I would highly recommend everyone to watch this film, especially those who don’t know the realities of immigrant workers who are brought into the United States. Even though Cesar Chavez and his history is now behind us, it not to be forgotten that our struggle does not end here. With great unity comes grand passion for change.
Remember, you and I make up LV! Moving forward, LV will continue to project a positive image of LatinX cultures while exposing the LatinX experience, communities and politics to the Hamilton community in order to broaden the community’s awareness of issues related to the LatinX culture.