Statement from the Farm Worker Movement:
Mourning the passing of Jon Lewis, who captured the images and devotion of 1960s grape strikers
All of us in the Farm Worker Movement learned with sadness that Jon Lewis, who poignantly documented the 1960s Delano Grape Strike in pictures, has passed away in San Francisco. Jon was one of a handful of photographers who during the early years of the movement demonstrated his commitment to the farm workers by sharing their lives and dedicating his talents to their cause. Many of the millions of decent people who supported the United Farm Workers were moved by the photos Jon took, from the launching of the 1965 vineyard walkouts to the historic 1966 Delano-to-Sacramento march to Cesar Chavez’s 25-day fast rededicating the movement to nonviolence in 1968.
Over the years, Jon didn’t receive enough of the recognition he rightfully deserved. The Farm Worker Movement and the Chavez family reached out to him when the National Chavez Center opened in 2005, around Cesar Chavez’s grave site at movement headquarters at La Paz, Keene, Calif. We travelled to meet with Jon in San Francisco and worked with him organizing collections of his pictures. Jon generously loaned his work, which was prominently featured in several major photo exhibitions commemorating historic milestones from the ‘60s in Visitor Center galleries at La Paz.
Jon attended the premieres of these exhibits and expressed excitement and gratitude seeing his pictures offering insight and inspiration to new audiences, including generations that weren’t even born when he did his work. He would sometimes stay overnight at La Paz and visit with Helen Chavez, Cesar’s widow, sharing laughs and memories of old times together.The commitment and devotion of movement pioneers live on through the photographs of Jon Lewis, and so will Jon.
United Farm Workers President Arturo S. Rodriguez
Cesar E. Chavez Foundation President Paul F. Chavez
To see some of Jon’s photos click here: http://www.farmworkermovement.org/gallery/index.php?cat=16
