Gadfly. Rabble-rouser. Communist.  César Chávez was called all those things.

To many more, though, he was a champion of the poor. An inspiration. A humanitarian.

He lived and worked in the fields before he began organizing farmworkers in the 1960s to press growers for better wages and the most basic of rights – clean drinking water, toilets, rest breaks.

With his marches and fasts, he provoked grape boycotts around the world, inspiring politicians and movie stars to take up la causa along side migrant workers.

And it all started right here in the Coachella Valley.

Today, state employees celebrate the life and legacy of the man who long fought for the dignity and rights of California farmworkers.

The first table grape contract for the United Farm Workers was signed in Coachella in 1970.

César Chávez Elementary School in Coachella was the only school named for him while he was alive.

His work gave farmworkers the right to clean water, toilets, rest breaks and a minimum wage.

Chávez’s rallying cry is still used today, "Si se puede/Yes we can."

He first organized in the Coachella Valley grape fields in 1965.

Founded in 1962, the United Farm Workers has members in 10 states. At its height, the UFW boasted 50,000 members.

Former President Bill Clinton bestowed posthumously the Medal of Freedom on Chávez on Aug 8, 1994.

More than 50,000 mourned Chávez’s death in April 29, 1993, at the site of his first fast – the UFW Delano Field Office.

On Easter in 1968, Chávez broke a 25-day fast where he was joined by 8,000 farm workers and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, who called Chávez "one of the heroic figures of our time."

Nine states, including California, honor Chávez with a state holiday.