Librado Chavez Visits Lincoln, Shares Brother’s Story

Lincoln High School had the honor of being visited by Mr. Librado Chavez, the brother of the legendary labor leader Cesar Chavez, for a special assembly on March 24th. Joesph Sanchez, his great-grandson, is a junior at Lincoln, so that played a part in arranging the visit. This visit came a week before the state-wide observance of Cesar Chavez Day on March 31.

Mr. Chavez told the audience of all the difficulties he encountered while with Cesar, and told some amazing stories from their lives.

In the early years, the Chavez family never had a permanent home. They were forced to move constantly while following the location of farm work. They never stayed in a single place for more than two or three months.

One of the stories Mr. Chavez shared was about how the farmworkers’ rights movement began one day when Cesar and his coworkers in the fields decided to resist their harsh working conditions for the first time. The workers had not been allowed to drink water until they finished a certain amount of work, and whoever wanted to go and drink water before that was given the threat of being fired. Cesar gathered all of the workers, who were also in need of a drink, and as the foreman was saying that he would start firing people, Cesar said that he could not possibly fire them all or else the business could not operate without anybody working there. The employer agreed to let them drink water, and that is how Cesar noticed that he could successfully negotiate if he had the support of a group of people.

Lincoln Lion Tales asked Librado Chavez some questions regarding his family’s lives and Cesar’s movement.

Lion Tales: “When you look back at the times of strikes, what main differences do you notice, compared to today?”

LC: “Oh, the things they [the workers] gained. What they gained was, before, they had no, the wages were low. [Now] they got a raise right away, wages, they got vacation, they got into social security, because they were excluded from that too… Now they’re in it, they’re also in unemployment benefits, now they have sick leave, they have insurance, everything.”

Lion Tales: “Where did you go to school?”

LC: “I finished here in San Jose, at James Lick.”

Lion Tales: “And what about Cesar, where did he attend school?”

LC: “Cesar went to elementary school in Southern California, in a town called Brawley.”

Lion Tales: “Is Lincoln High the only school you decided to visit, or did you go to other schools, too?”

LC: “Every year we visit schools; they invite us.”

Lion Tales: “What advice would you give for the youth of today?”

LC: “The advice, like I said earlier for the students, is to stay in school, that’s the best thing. And if you can not get a profession, at least get a trade, or else they’ll be working in McDonald’s, or something like that.”

Lion Tales: “How did Cesar’s commitments and deeds affect his personal and family life?’

LC: “He sacrificed a lot at the beginning, but when things started getting together, he was happy, he was very happy.”

Lion Tales: “Was everybody supportive of Cesar from the beginning?”

LC: “Oh yeah. A lot of friends joined him from the beginning and some are still in.”

Lion Tales: “At the beginning of Cesar’s actions, did you have any idea that it would take such big proportions and affect the world, making Cesar a national hero?”

LC: “We didn’t think it was going to happen like that.”

Lion Tales: “But at the end, it turns out it was definitely worth trying, right?”

LC: “Yes, people kept saying: “It can not be done,” but he said: “Yes, it can.” Those are his famous words, “Sí, se puede.” He said, “You can do that, Sí, se puede.”

Lion Tales: “Do you believe that everybody can accomplish what ever they want, as long as they are persistent and follow their heart?”

LC: “Exactly right. Everybody is an organizer, if you do it the right way, if you put your mind to it. People think one man can not change the world, but he [Cesar] did it.”