Free Screening of ‘César Ch?vez’ at UUF

A free screening of César Chávez: History is Made One Step at a Time, a biography of the civil-rights activist and labor organizer, will be shown at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Ephraim on May 19 at 4:30 pm.

The film follows Chávez’s efforts to organize 50,000 farm workers in California, many of whom were braceros—temporary workers from Mexico permitted to live and work in the United States in agriculture, and required to return to Mexico if they stopped working. Working conditions are very poor for the braceros, who also suffer from racism and brutality at the hands of the employers and local Californians. To help the workers, César Chávez (portrayed by Michael Peña) forms a labor union known as the United Farm Workers (UFW). Chávez’s efforts are opposed, sometimes violently, by the owners of the large industrial farms where the braceros work. The film touches on several major nonviolent campaigns by the UFW: the Delano grape strike, the Salad Bowl strike, and the 1975 Modesto march.

This film is part of the monthly Movies That Matter series examining a wide range of issues. The UU Fellowship is located at 10341 Hwy. 42 in north Ephraim. For further information call 920.854.7559.