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who had no resources, and when we think of the fast? Let’s ask everybody not to eat grapes. That’s a
5
changes that we were able to make for farm kind of a simple thing, right? It doesn’t take a lot,
workers, it’s really kind of a mindblower. Because just don’t eat grapes. And so we asked the whole
the kind of action that has been taken, the kind of country and the whole world not to eat grapes, and
political action has always been very simple they didn’t. And as a result of that, people not
things. About this time ten years ago, Cesar eating grapes, we had our first big national grape
Chavez started his first fast. He did this because boycott and we got our first contract. That was a
we had been on strike at that time for about five really simple thing, but it had a tremendous
Changing the World
years[ — ]no[,] for three years[ — ]and we still impact. Because we were going to the heart of the
didn’t have any contract and the contributions growers, and that is their pocketbook. And we have
stopped coming in, everybody was living on to remember that when you are dealing with
Campbell’s Tomato Soup and Pork and Beans corporations and you are dealing with businesses
because that’s what we got in donations. Tons of you can’t, like when you go to school you are
Campbell’s Soup and tons of Pork and Beans, taught to be rational, to be objective, to believe
and a lot of the farm workers were getting kind of what you read and to weigh things, and do all of
desperate. So Cesar started his first fast for these things. You have to be very careful when you
nonviolence in 1968. He did a twenty-five day are in school and learn all of these things because
fast and he didn’t eat for twenty-five days, and it can be an entrapment. Luckily, farm workers
this was to commit farm workers in all of our many times — because they don’t have school they
movement to the philosophy of nonviolence. go by their guts — they know what’s right and they
And of course a lot of people thought he was know what’s wrong and they aren’t afraid to take
crazy. Some people said that Cesar was trying to action.
play God and some people who were very anti- That’s a very important thing when you are in
religious were furious over the fact that Cesar school, that you never lose that, don’t ever forget
would do something so crazy. They thought that to go by what you think is right and wrong down
doing the daily work of the union was more deep inside of your gut because all the time that
important than fasting. This was some of our staff you are in school you are going to be taught how
people. And a lot of people left the union to conform. And I am saying this from experience
because they didn’t agree with Cesar fasting, because I was in college, and I was a
they tried to pressure Cesar to stop fasting. schoolteacher, and I quit teaching schools to
Myself, I was in New York working on the 5 come back and help Cesar build a union. So
boycott and I kept getting calls from Delano where I know where I come from, and I had to unlearn
people were saying “Cesar’s crazy, he’s trying to about being rational, objective, and being logical,
have this fast but you should call him up and tell right? Because when you are dealing with a big
him to start eating.” I said, “Well look, this is his social fight and trying to make changes, the
decision.” I didn’t do what they asked me to do, people that you are dealing with are not going to
and we let Cesar continue his fast, and, of course, it be rational and they are not going to do things on
was a very glorious thing that he did. The day that the basis of justice — they respond to only one
Cesar ended his fast, Robert Kennedy was there thing and that is economic power. So somehow,
with him, and there was something like nine you have to hit them in that pocketbook where
thousand farm workers. But that was a very simple they have their heart and their nerves and then
thing that Cesar did, he just fasted. We sort of they feel the pain. Otherwise, they can give you a
picked up on that idea of Cesar’s fast, and then we thousand arguments on why something can’t
thought, why couldn’t the whole country do a little be done. […]
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