Cesar Chavez “Si, Se Puede” (“Yes, It Can Be Done”)

www.k5learning.comObjective sight words (labor leader, non-violent methods, migrant,philosophies, immigrants, voting registration, pesticides, chemicals, strikes,protest, boycott); concepts (migrant workers and importance of working rights,non-violent means to achieve worker rights, St. Francis and Gandhi influence,Great Depression)Vocabularylabor tionboycottCesar Chavez“Si, Se Puede” (“Yes, it can be done”)By: Sue PetersonCesar Estrada Chavez (1927-1993) was a MexicanAmerican labor leader who used non-violent methods to fightfor the rights of migrant farm workers in the southwesternUnited States. Migrant workers often move from farm tofarm or from town to town to find work. It is usually difficultwork and does not pay a high wage. Chavez was influencedgreatly by the peaceful philosophies of St. Francis of Assisiand Mohandas Gandhi. Sue Peterson 2012

2Chavez was born in Arizona. When he was ten-yearsold, his parents lost the family farm because of the GreatDepression. They were forced to become migrant workersthemselves. Chavez worked part-time in the farm fields withhis family in Arizona and later in California, when his familylived there. After graduating from 8th grade, Chavez workedfull-time to help support his family.He served in the U.S. Navy during WWII, married HelenFabela in 1948, and eventually helped raise a family of eightchildren. Chavez and his wife helped teach Mexicanimmigrants to read and helped them with voting registration.Chavez was concerned over the health and workingconditions of the migrant population. He did not like the useof pesticides, the name of the chemicals used to kill bugs onthe crops. He knew that pesticides could make humanbeings sick. He organized a group of people to help work forthe rights of farm workers. They worked on many goals likeincreasing the wages for the workers, improving theirworking conditions, and improving the safety for the farmworkers.Chavez helped organize strikes, whereby the workerschose to stop working to protest some important issuesrelated to work. For example, the migrant workers went onstrike to protest the poor wages, poor working conditions,and lack of safety on their jobs. They refused to work until Sue Peterson 2012

3something changed regarding their salary and these workingconditions. The public, that is consumers like you,sometimes chooses to support the strike by not buyingcertain products or not buying from a certain store, etc. Thisis called a boycott. Boycotts put pressure on the people whomake decisions regarding those who are protesting andstriking.Chavez went on many hunger strikes, too, which isanother type of strike to prove a point and draw attention towhat his concerns were. In a hunger strike, you basically donot eat until the demands are met. Chavez was able to usethe hunger strikes to move legislators to change the laws toimprove the lives of farm workers. Because of Chavez’sactions, he was jailed many times. Despite this, he continuedhis goal of helping to fight for the migrant worker.Chavez, with aid from Dolores Huertaand Gilbert Padilla, started a union called theNational Farm Workers Association (NFWA)to help fight for social justice. He organized anational boycott of lettuce and grapes.The name NFWA was changed to theUnited Farm Workers (UFW) in 1974. In1978, some of the demands for better wages and workingconditions were met, so the boycott for the lettuce andgrapes was lifted. Sue Peterson 2012

4Throughout his life, Chavez’s motto was “Si, se puede”.This meant, “Yes, it can be done”. Chavez proved that itcould be done. His work for fair treatment and better pay formigrant workers helped make the lives of millions of peoplebetter.After a lifetime of working to help these people, Chavezdied in 1993. He received the Presidential Medal ofFreedom after his death. Chavez’s children andgrandchildren continue in his footsteps to help fight for therights for migrant workers. Sue Peterson 2012

5PracticeWord Search. Find the words from the text.QWORKO W ILLABORW O RKUSIBOYCOTTBDYFYM EG EM M AHC W VVLKIDIELJO OLJAWZXCZXTTPLCEUVFAUUITXISEQYNLYNLO TVYM JEM SG URIGHTSJEIG DW UJMKCECTAG IM UUYDPESTIC IDRECIROBG AHBOIECUM ple-Choice Questions (Put an X in front of the correctanswers.)1. What are 3 reasons that there were migrant farm worker “strikes”mentioned in the text?a. to protest poor wagesb. to protest working conditionsc. to protest safety conditionsd. to be able to go on vacation2. What is the name of the union that Chavez started?a. The Migrant Associationb. The National Farm Workers Associationc. Farmers All Unitedd. All for One Sue Peterson 2012

63. The union name changed to in 1974.a. Si, Se Puedeb. United Farm Workersc. Workers Alld. Farming for AllDefinitions (Write the meaning of each word as it is used in the text.)1. migrant2. boycott3. pesticidesExtended Response (Answer in complete sentences.)1. What were some of Chavez’s non-violent methods used to fight forthe rights of farm workers? Were these successful? If so, how?. Sue Peterson 2012

72. What did Chavez and his wife Helen do to help Mexicanimmigrants regarding literacy (i.e., the ability to read and write)?.3. What were some of the concerns regarding farm work? How didChavez’s motto play a role in his action toward changing theworking conditions for the migrant farmer?. Sue Peterson 2012

8Answer SheetAnswers for Matching, Multiple-Choice Questions, and Extended ResponseCaesar ChavezMultiple-Choice Questions1. a,b,c2. b3. bExtended Response (Accept reasonable answers.)1. He organized a group of people to work for farmers’ rights. He alsoorganized strikes and boycotts like the lettuce and grape boycotts.Another thing he did was to organize a union. All of these actions weresuccessful and led to better working conditions and increased wages forthe migrant workers.2. Chavez and his wife helped teach reading and helped with voterregistration.3. There were concerns over working conditions, safety, and salary. Chavezplayed a role in helping change the conditions for the migrant worker. Infact, he helped millions of people. His children and grandchildrencontinue the fight for the rights of the migrant worker. Sue Peterson 2012This story is an excerpt from a levelled reading workbook available at store.k5learning.com/reading-comprehension

Cesar Chavez “Si, Se Puede” (“Yes, it can be done”) By: Sue Peterson Cesar Estrada Chavez (1927-1993) was a Mexican-American labor leader who used non-violent methods to fight for the rights of migrant farm workers in the southwestern United States. Migrant workers often move from farm to farm or from town to town to find work.