United Farm Workers Legislative Director & Vice President Giev Kashkooli addressed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference convention in Washington, D.C. today, Friday, Aug. 23, because if there is one lesson we learned from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a founder of SCLC, it is that the struggle for civil, labor and human rights is indivisible.
In September 1966, Dr. King sent a telegram to Cesar Chavez, who was beginning the Delano Grape Strike. "As brothers in the fight for equality,” Dr. King wrote, “I extend the hand of fellowship and good will and wish continuing success to you and your members…You and your valiant fellow workers have demonstrated your commitment to righting grievous wrongs forced upon exploited people. We are together with you in spirit and in determination that our dreams for a better tomorrow will be realized."
Cesar worked over the years with Coretta Scott King, Ralph Abernathy, Andrew Young, Jesse Jackson and other major figures from SCLC during the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s, supporting each others’ causes. Recently, SCLC CEO Dr. Charles Steele Jr. conferred with leaders of the farm worker movement at the National Chavez Center at La Paz in Keene, Calif., including Paul Chavez, Cesar’s son and president of the Cesar Chavez Foundation, and myself.Out of that session came SCLC’s support for immigration reform, to help free 11 million hard-working, tax-paying immigrants from abuse and poverty, including 1 million farm workers.
Arturo S. Rodriguez, President
United Farm Workers of America