Robert F. Kennedy Statement on César Chávez
3/10/1968
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Senator Robert F. Kennedy gave these remarks at the United Farm Workers Union Rally in Delano, California, on March 10, 1968. His speech honored César Chávez, president of the United Farm Workers of America (UFW), calling him "one of the heroic figures of our time." Kennedy supported Chávez's non-violent tactics and called for a Federal law giving farmworkers the right to engage in collective bargaining.
In 1965, Filipino-American workers of the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC), led by Larry Itliong, had walked off their jobs in the grape fields of California and started a labor strike for better working conditions and higher pay. The National Farm Workers Association, led by Chávez and Dolores Huerta and made up of Chicano workers, joined the strike and became the main organizer of the fight against the grape growers. AWOC and NFWA merged in 1966 to create the United Farm Workers.
The UFW also began a boycott against all California table grapes in 1967, urging Americans not to buy grapes that were grown by California growers who did not allow farmworkers to organize to fight for better working conditions.
Robert Kennedy flew out to California to the Delano rally in 1968, with an estimated 6,000 to 10,000 people, to help César Chávez end a 25-day hunger strike. Chávez had initiated the hunger strike to emphasize non-violence when some members of the union were seeking to use violent means to achieve their goals out of desperation. Kennedy broke bread with Chávez at a "Mass of Thanksgiving" at Memorial Park.
After five years of the strike, plus the grape boycott, California grape growers eventually signed contracts with the United Farm Workers. The workers earned better wages and secured the right to organize and bargain collectively.
In 1965, Filipino-American workers of the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC), led by Larry Itliong, had walked off their jobs in the grape fields of California and started a labor strike for better working conditions and higher pay. The National Farm Workers Association, led by Chávez and Dolores Huerta and made up of Chicano workers, joined the strike and became the main organizer of the fight against the grape growers. AWOC and NFWA merged in 1966 to create the United Farm Workers.
The UFW also began a boycott against all California table grapes in 1967, urging Americans not to buy grapes that were grown by California growers who did not allow farmworkers to organize to fight for better working conditions.
Robert Kennedy flew out to California to the Delano rally in 1968, with an estimated 6,000 to 10,000 people, to help César Chávez end a 25-day hunger strike. Chávez had initiated the hunger strike to emphasize non-violence when some members of the union were seeking to use violent means to achieve their goals out of desperation. Kennedy broke bread with Chávez at a "Mass of Thanksgiving" at Memorial Park.
After five years of the strike, plus the grape boycott, California grape growers eventually signed contracts with the United Farm Workers. The workers earned better wages and secured the right to organize and bargain collectively.
This primary source comes from the Collection JFK-RFK: Robert F. Kennedy Papers.
National Archives Identifier: 194027
Full Citation: Robert F. Kennedy Statement on César Chávez; 3/10/1968; Robert F. Kennedy Papers: Senate Papers: Speeches and Press Releases; Robert F. Kennedy Papers: Senate Papers: Speeches and Press Releases, 1965 - 1968; Collection JFK-RFK: Robert F. Kennedy Papers; John F. Kennedy Library, Boston, MA. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/robert-f-kennedy-statement-on-cesar-chavez-march-10-1968, April 19, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.