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This day in UFW history—September 8, 1965: Heroic Filipino farm workers, members of the Agricultural Labor Organizing Committee, walked out on strike against Delano-area table and wine grape growers. Led by Larry Itliong, Pete Velasco, Andy Imutan and Philip Vera Cruz, the Filipino strikers turned to Cesar Chavez and asked the mostly Latino members of the National Farm Workers Association to join their picket lines, which they voted to do on September 16, 1965. Thus began an epic and victorious five-year, multi-ethnic labor and civil rights struggle that established the first enduring farm workers’ union in U.S. history. The two unions merged in 1966 to form the United Farm Workers. Veterans of that historic grape strike and boycott plus younger generations will gather for an all-day celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Delano Grape Strike from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, September 26, 2015 just west of Delano at the farm workers’ “Forty Acres” complex, now a National Historic Landmark. For more information or to register to attend, visithttp://delanograpestrike.org Pictured in this photo from the beginning of the 1965 grape strike is AWOC picket Brother Catalino Taclibon.  |
United Farm Workers President Teresa Romero awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom