San Fernando Valley Sun: Growing Up with the UFW — A Conversation with Cesar’s Granddaughter

JULIE CHAVEZ RODRíGUEZ

Photo courtesy Cesar E. Chavez Foundation

Julie Chavez Rodríguez is Cesar Chavez’s granddaughter. She has worked with the United Farm Workers (UFW) on voter registration and community empowerment programs in California. Since November 2000, she has been the Programs Director for the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation. Among her many responsibilities, she is in charge of the National Youth Leadership Initiative to address academic and civic disengagement among today’s youth. Rodríguez has also worked jointly with the State of California on the development and administration of the Cesar ChavezDay of Service and Learning as well as the development of a web based K-12 curriculum on the life and work of Cesar E. Chavez.

She spoke with San Fernando Sun/El Sol Editor Diana Martinez this week. The following is an excerpt from the interview.

San Fernando Valley Sun/El Sol: I know your grand- father made many sacrifices and as the President and co-founder of the UFW often had to be away from your family.

Chavez Rodriguez: Often times, we talk about the sacrifices that he (Cesar) made which were extremely significant and very selfless on his part as well as on the part of the farmworkers themselves. But I think one area that isn’t talked about is the sacrifices that many families made. It’s the hundreds of families of organizers and volunteers. They were really on the front lines because theworkwent well beyond the 9-5 job. It was a life time commitment. It required that of everyone, including the smallest children in the family.

San Fernando Sun/El Sol: What was it like for you growing up in the UFWmovement?

Chavez Rodriguez: I think my experiences were kind of different, without both parents in the home because of different campaigns and organizing. But I think another part of the experience I find rewarding and it helped to develop so many of us that grew up in the farm workers movement, was really being involved in the marches and on the picket lines and being an active, contributing member of the farmworkersmovement despite our age and despite some of the skills that we had at that time. I saw it as a classroom for me as much as some formal educational experiences.

I do know when I was five I went to my parents and told them I was so excited to turn five because when I turned five, that meant I got to get a job. They looked at me like I was crazy.

Well, I had an older sister who, of course, I wanted to be exactly like, and she was three years older than me. I said, ‘Well wait a minute. Olivia got to get a job when she turned five. I want to have a job when I turn five. It was a volunteer opportunity and I started throwing [out] trash in the Farm Worker’s credit union. I saw that as something I too wanted to do and find someway to contribute.

I think that’s the earliest memory I have of wanting to be actively involved.

San Fernando Sun/El Sol: Can you share your early memories of activism?

Chavez Rodriguez: I remember the first time I was arrested for picketing [in front of a supermarket in New Jersey], I was nine years old. They arrested me, my sister and my father. They said we were trespassing but we knew we were exercising our first amendment rights. We were living in New Jersey at time and we eventually sued the police department and the city for violation of our first amendment rights and they eventually overturned the case.

The second time I was arrested, I was about twelve years old and it was in Los Angeles and at that point, I remember, they asked lots of questions around gang affiliation and activity and there were no tattoos.  As a twelve year old being involved in political activism, to me that was so far from my reality that it was kind of humorous. Because we were being arrested, I think we were seen in that context. It was an interesting realization for me of what it meant for us to be able to stand up in that way and that the consequences were pretty grave but that knowing again that we had a just cause and something that was worth standing up for.

San Fernando Sun/El Sol: As a child, did you feel compelled to participate?

Chavez Rodriguez: Although the expectation was that we would be participating in all these things, our parents involved us actively in deciding. So part of that took away the element of feeling I was forced to do something or feeling that I was someplace that I didn’t want to be. In fact it was something that I welcomed and it was really exciting for me as a kid. It was around the second grade when I began to understand from  a justice perspective what my actions meant. I was eating dinner, when it dawned on me that food that was on my plate had been picked by people. I started thinking about just who that person was. It was such a simple reality for me to understand that people who had put food on my table often times didn’t have enough to put on their own. The very basic sense of injustice, that wasn’t fair, that wasn’t right, I think that motived me in my involvement in the farm worker movement.

San Fernando Sun/El Sol:What kind of an impact has being Cesar’s granddaughter had on you?

Chavez Rodriguez: My grandfather is seen in many communities as someone who is an advocate for change. I think people are more open and willing to provide me with a platform and opportunities to impact communities so that’s where I see my responsibilities coming from. Just because my grandfather and thousands of others, if not millions of others, sacrificed so much to give me the opportunities I have today, not just in being the granddaughter of Cesar Chavez, but also in terms of being able to access education and vote and all the other things and just not wanting to take that for granted, seeing my responsibility as needing to carry that forward for the next generation and build upon it. It’s a strong foundation from which we have to build on as the next generation.

I think that’s the least that we can do for the struggles and sacrifices of those that came before us.

San Fernando Sun/El Sol: Were you able to spend time with Cesar when you were a girl?

Chavez Rodriguez: I was fortunate that I got to spend my formative years learning from him, observing him. I saw him as much as a mentor as I did my grandfather.

I’m just more of an observational learner, being there, being able to walk alongside of him, march alongside him and see him interact with people and demonstrate a level of respect for each and every person he encountered. I have yet to see in someone else the commitment, and the passion and compassion that really was shown through his action more so than his words. That to me was some of the most amazing opportunities I had as a child.

Both he and my grandmother were kind of adamant about not putting anyone in higher regard than others. It was having the sense of what I thought of the real sense of family and community that extended beyond our immediate family.

That was a beautiful thing to see as well as to experience.

San Fernando Sun/El Sol: What is the current status of the drive to make Cesar Chavez Day a national holiday?

Chavez Rodriguez: Ten states celebrate Cesar Chavez holiday currently including California, Arizona, Colorado, Texas, New Mexico, Utah, Michigan, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. One thing I heard is that it took the King holiday 15 years to pass.

So that was one frame of reference that we had. On our part, we want this to be a grassroots effort, to be able to come from the community.

That’s how the California holiday came about and how other holidays have come about with our support and encouragement. Evelina Alarcon, who’s been championing this as a volunteer, was looking at a diversity of signatures from different areas of the country.

Understanding that this does warrant national and federal status and is not isolated to California and the Southwest. Those have been some of the recommendations moving forward. It also demonstrates that there is a universal appeal but also universal principles that Chavez put forward that continue to inspire, in particular, our young people today.

San Fernando Sun/El Sol: What will you be doing on the Cesar Chavez holiday?

Chavez Rodriguez: Specifically on March 31, I’ll be in Chicago with Gov. Pat Quinn celebrating Students Education and Action project they’ve been doing in honor of Cesar Chavez. That’s programing that we do in Illinois, California and Arizona. Last year I was in California and this year in Illinois.

San Fernando Sun/El Sol: What can people do to honor his legacy on Cesar Chavez Day?

Chavez Rodriguez: I think this year for his birthday [March 31], there is important legislation at the federal government right now that would extend programming for schools and communities, that would allow the incorporation of Chavez education programs. I would ask that if people wanted one quick thing to do on Chavez Day to honor his legacy, that they call their U.S. Senator to support the Serve America Act, Senate Resolution S277. Basically it would extend funding for service programs across the country including the Cesar Chavez Day of Service and Learning. The general phone number, where you can reach any Senator, is (202) 224- 3121.