Opinion: A new generation of activists may not directly invoke Cesar Chávez, but his legacy lives on in the social movements now playing out across America.

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You don’t hear his name frequently enough.

And the struggles of farmworkers he championed more than a half-century ago are often an afterthought in mainstream America.

But whether the new generation of activists invoke his name or not, Cesar Chávez’s legacy lives on in the social movements now playing out across America.

Their narrative and tactics borrow from Chávez’s: The underdogs, the ones rising from poverty without political clout, can topple the almighty lords of capitalism. They can capture attention and change hearts and minds with steadfastness, focus and strength in numbers.

What did Cesar Chavez accomplish?

Born March 31, 1927, in Yuma, Ariz., to an impoverished Mexican-American family, Chávez led the rallying cry of overworked farm laborers and became a symbol of their struggle for justice.

The Chávez family left Arizona for the California fields where they earned unlivable wages, often going hungry. It’s under that backdrop and drawing inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. that Chávez took up the farmworkers’ plight, called La Causa.

Chavez’s crusade called for fair wages and humane working conditions for farm laborers who stooped over to pick everything from grapes to lettuce.

His accomplishments were vast. Chávez co-founded the United Farm Workers union and forced growers to recognize it as the bargaining agent for tens of thousands of workers. The organization fought for better pay, benefits and protections for workers. He inspired similar nonviolent but aggressive labor movements across the nation.

Chávez is, rightfully, celebrated – his name now graces parks, streets, schools, libraries and university buildings. In 1994, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and in 2003 the U.S. Postal Service issued a Cesar Chávez stamp.

Why did Cesar Chavez fast?

How did he do it? Just like today’s activists, Chávez knew exactly how to draw public attention to him and his Causa.

He led thousands of striking farmers to California’s capital to demand better wages. He organized a strike against grape growers in the state and called for a national boycott of non-union California table grapes.

Chávez understood symbolism and the importance of swaying public opinion. He endured a 25-day fast in 1968 to draw attention to his nonviolent strike against grape growers. The picture of then-Sen. Robert F. Kennedy breaking bread with Chavez to end the fast catapulted his fame.

Chavez used that tactic two more times:

  • A 24-day fast in 1972 to protest an Arizona law banning farmworkers from organizing and boycotting and
  • A 36-day fast in 1988 to keep drawing attention to workers’ plight.

How is Cesar Chavez considered a hero?

For many Latinos and those seeking social justice, Chávez gave them a path to victory.

“That soft spoken and humble man gave us hope and confidence that we could actually win,” said Phoenix lawyer and activist Danny Ortega, who knew Chávez well. “It’s his legacy that gives us strength to keep fighting. God knows we need that strength now more than ever.”

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Chávez drew throngs of national and international media attention — exactly what he sought to call attention to La Causa. I know because I was there at his last fast in Delano, Calif.

Details are fuzzy of that chaotic day three decades ago when he ended his fast. I had recently arrived from Mexico and was doing work for a local Spanish-language newscast in northern California.

The media’s euphoria over the frail-looking Chavez was undeniable. By then, he was an internationally known activist, a hero to farmworkers and a skillful public figure.

Chavez was media savvy, combining his grassroots organizing skills with a genuine message of social justice and a profound understanding of symbolism. No wonderr he blazed a path to public notoriety.

What is Cesar Chavez’s impact today?

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Chávez’s legacy remains as relevant today as when he died in Arizona 26 years ago. His message of Si Se Puede (“Yes, You Can”) is being played out across the country with:

  • Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the young Latina from New York who unseated 10-term congressman and Democratic Caucus chair Joe Crowley, has positioned herself as a national symbol of social justice for the poor.
  • Tomás Robles and Alex Gomez, the co-directors of LUCHA that overpowered the deep pockets of Arizona chamber-types to pass and successfully defend in court the 2016 ballot initiative that raises Arizona’s minimum wage to $12 an hour by 2020.
  • Carlos Garcia, an activist and now-Phoenix City Council candidate who led young immigrants to chain themselves at the Arizona state Capitol to protest anti-immigrant bills and to block a major thoroughfare in protest of a campaign rally by then-candidate Donald Trump. The protests drew media attention to immigrants and to Trump’s divisive proposals.
  • Erika Andiola and other undocumented “dreamers” who risked deportation by publicly defying President Barack Obama and, later, Trump. These young immigrants forced Obama to grant them temporary protection and are still fighting to legalize their status.
  • Phoenix-area activists who marched, protested and registered people to vote to help oust anti-immigrant Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Chávez may be long gone, but his message of social justice and fighting for the poor – for the underdogs who can’t fight for themselves – is one of his greatest legacies. Some Arizonans are paying tribute to Chávez this weekend with breakfasts and other events.

Chávez birthday, March 31, is a U.S. federal commemorative holiday — an optional holiday. Phoenix and Tempe city offices will be closed Monday to honor his legacy.

Whether or not you have heard of Chávez, whether or not you have the day off, this is as good a moment as any to reflect on today’s underdogs — those in poverty and without political clout who deserve better.

Elvia Díaz is an editorial columnist for The Republic and azcentral. Reach her at 602-444-8606 or elvia.diaz@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter, @elviadiaz1.