Agent of Change: Honoring the Center of the American Farm Worker Movement

The rural California compound that served as the center of the American farm worker movement–synonymous with legendary labor organizer César Chávez–has come to symbolize the struggle for reform in the agricultural industry during the 1960s, a struggle undertaken by marginalized migrant workers against great odds. The just-designated national historic landmark–four brick and stucco structures known as Forty Acres–was the headquarters for Chávez, who emerged as the charismatic leader of the movement, the son of agricultural laborers who lost their land in the Great Depression, and an admirer of Mahatma Gandhi who similarly used the approach of agitation and nonviolence to great effect.

In the 1960s, the rights of farm workers lagged far behind those of laborers in other trades. The National Labor Relations Act of 1935, which established workers’ rights to organize and engage in collective bargaining, excluded agricultural workers. Powerful agribusinesses used intimidation to discourage organizing. Against this backdrop, California’s rich central valley–with its largely poor farm workers, many Chicano and Filipino–became the scene of sweeping change, where Chávez emerged as an icon.

He was a community organizer in the 1950s, traveling throughout California with a Latino group that advocated for workers’ rights. By the 1960s, he was deeply involved in the increasingly vocal farm workers’ movement, co-founding what became the United Farm Workers. In 1965, Filipino American laborers struck against California grape growers, demanding better wages. Chavez and the UFW joined them, organizing an historic march from Delano, where Forty Acres is located, to the state capitol in Sacramento.

In 1966, with attention growing on the plight of the farm workers, the UFW purchased forty acres for $2,700. The workers built the structures with the help of volunteers and other sympathetic unions. An administration center went up, followed by a service station, a health clinic, a hiring hall, and lodging for retired Filipino farm workers. Except for the administration building, the structures are in the Mission Revival style. Forty Acres was not just the headquarters of a national union; it was also built to meet the needs of the Filipino and Chicano community. The complex included a barbecue pit, a well with a pump, landscaping, a recreation area, and a grazing pasture. Farm laborers flocked to Forty Acres for health care and for information on their rights.

The grape strike became an epic five-year struggle, with the UFW convincing Americans to boycott the product. Chávez fasted in protest, holding out at Forty Acres’ small service station, drawing media attention to the cause. As a Senate subcommittee looked into the matter, Senator Robert F. Kennedy went to California, returning in full support. He went on to become a Chávez admirer and ally.

In 1970, the grape growers finally came to terms, signing the first contracts in U.S. history negotiated by farm workers, who also began mobilizing in Texas, Ohio, and Wisconsin, where similar unions formed. The activism of Chávez and the UFW led to the first labor law for farm workers: 1975’s California Agricultural Labor Relations Act.

To view the designation, go to www.nps.gov/history/nhl/designations/samples/CA/FortyAcres.pdf. The United Farm Workers web site has a wealth of historical information; go to www.ufw.org.