A Chicano Historical Perspective

President; Committee on Chicano Rights

After viewing the movie, “Cesar Chavez: An American Hero,” and reading reviews about it, many have asked me; what I thought about the movie? First, the reviews below written about the movie, and Chavez; some of them positive but most especially about Chavez; critical and negative.

Matt Garcia, Professor Arizona State University and author; “From the Jaws of Victory” states:

· “Great strides were made during the heyday of the farmworkers movement – namely the first contracts for farmworkers and a California law that recognized their right to unionize.”

· “But the film probably does the greatest disservice to Cesar Chavez himself. The director opts out of the 1970s altogether, a period in which Chavez struggled with personal and professional demons and became invested in creating a community rather than solidifying earlier gains.”

Miriam Pawell, Author; “Union of their Dreams” and “The Crusades of Cesar Chavez.”

· “Chavez showed thousands, perhaps millions that they could stand up to injustice.”

· “Chavez threatened, “I got to be the …king, or I’ll leave.”

· “Even Cesar’s brother, Richard Chavez, tells him “I am afraid of you…Everybody’s afraid.”

· “Drawing from Mao’s Cultural Revolution,” Chavez used, “the community to do the dirty work.”

Mark R. Day; a Catholic chaplain/organizer late 1960’s with the United Farm Workers (UFW):

· “Chavez was, of course, a genius, a master organizer, whose successes in the vineyards and lettuce fields of California came about as a result of enormous personal sacrifice and his ability to reach out to a wide audience: students, priests, nuns, ministers, labor leaders and average housewives who made up their minds not to buy grapes.”

· “UFW co-founder Gilbert Padilla told Labor Notes, “Cesar turned away from the union around 1977.” “He no longer wanted to deal with workers. He just wanted to build a cult. After the 1980s, nothing was done. “Nothing, Zip.”

So back to the question; what did I think about the movie?

As a Chicano activist and a firm believer in historical self-determination, the movie was “well intended,” much like Miriam Pawell’s epic book, “The Crusades of Cesar Chavez. But the facts remains that both were not created by people (Chicanos) that suffered and experienced the historical issues/problems detailed in the movie or book.

The movie in reality is just another Hollywood production intended to make money; unfortunately at the expense of our peoples history.

My most strident criticism was over the insidious failure of the movie in not presenting how Cesar Chavez historically affected this nation’s 55 million Chicanos/Latinos.

Sadly, but more importantly was what the movie manifested about the 55 million Chicanos/Latinos in the U.S.…total social, economic and political powerlessness! A powerlessness (in my opinion) caused by a lack of historical understanding and political in-astuteness that has regressed the hard won social, economic and political gains of our peoples’ back to the 1950’s.

This condition was documented by ABC reporter, Juan Quinones, in interviews made about the movie. When Quinones questioned farm-workers about who Cesar Chavez was, most did not know! On top of that, a large number of our people think that Cesar Chavez… is the great Mexican boxer, Julio Cesar Chavez! In Hollywood terms ($) the movie is a flop?

If one considers the following … Chicanos/Latinos represent the largest movie watching demographic in the U.S. representing 18% of the movie going audience and purchasing 25% of the tickets sold. If just 10% of all Chicanos/Latinos in the U.S. had seen the film, it would have grossed $47.7 million at the box office, more than quadrupling the amount it cost to make ($10 million). So who made it a flop, and who could of made it successful?

Another disturbing omission in the film was reading Film Director, Diego Luna’s statement that; “We have to send a message to the (film) industry that our stories have to be represented. And with the depth and the complexity they deserve.” In the movie Chicano historical leaders that helped rally the Chicano community to “La Causa” were omitted. Chicano leaders such as Humberto “Bert” Corona, Ernesto Galarza, Abe Tapia, Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales and numerous others.

What then about the negative charges made against Chavez? An old saying stated, “Chicanos/Mexicanos love their heroes, but require one thing of their heroes, they must be dead… so our people can paint them anyway they see fit.” In Chavez’s case, some claim he was a saint, others that he was paranoid, dictatorial, tolerated no dissent, a cult leader, a surrogate of the INS/Border Patrol, disdainful and distrustful of educators, the middle class, undermining – leadership from the farmworkers, and finally destroying the UFW?

My opinion is that history (written by our people) will judge the charges? The truth is Chavez was a mortal man like other historical leaders that came before him i.e. Benito Juarez, Emiliano Zapata, Pancho Villa, etc., who in their times did some things right, and some things wrong?

Let us not forget that Pancho Villa used to cut the ears off, or shot to death undisciplined individuals who failed to follow his orders. If the farmworkers issue/problem is still with us (after Chavez), remember so are most of the historical issues/problems from the Spanish Conquest of 1519. Christians have a saying; “the cross is still lying on the ground, pick it up.”

The one thing that no one can deny in 2014 is that Chavez, at great sacrifice and against gargantuan odds did his part in our peoples’ historical struggle. His greatest victory was in bringing down the powerful agri-business farmers and corporations (for a time) that for the last 100 years (to the present) continue to exploit Mexican labor. When placed in historical context Chavez’s victory would be tantamount to this nations’ 55 million Chicanos/Latinos in 2014; politically forcing the U.S. INS/Border Patrol to stop arresting and deporting Mexicans!

Finally the question that the movie failed to raise remains…what was Cesar Chavez impact and effect on Chicanos/Latinos in the U.S.? A population that has increased from 7 million in 1970, to 55 million in 2014 and is projected by the U.S. census to increase to 134 million by 2050. The above is a historical question that can only be answered by history; written by an educated, politicized and organized people.