The Delano grape strike and boycott of California grapes began in 1965, when Filipino immigrant field workers walked off farms because they were not being paid the federal minimum wage. In 1966, a group mostly made up of Mexican farmworkers, led by the charismatic Cesar Chavez, joined the grape strike, and the two organizations merged to form the United Farm Workers of America (UFW).
As the strike continued, picketers spread out in large cities throughout the country to demonstrate in front of grocery stores, imploring shoppers not to buy table grapes. The grape boycott's national campaign depended upon newspaper coverage as well as television reports.
Directions
In the first interactive, use the magnifier to look more closely at the signers of the first grape contract, and answer the questions in the boxes below.
The signing of the first grape contract in 1970, ending the five-year grape strike. Front row, left to right: Cesar Chavez (UFW president), John Giumarra (Giumarra Vineyards CEO). Second row, left to right: Manuel Uranday, Msgr. George Higgins, Bishop Joseph Donnelly, Bill Kirchner, Jerry Sherry, editor of the Catholic Monitor, and John Giumarra, Jr. Permission has been granted for educational purposes only courtesy of United Farm Workers Collection, Walter P. Reuther Library, Wayne State University.
Questions
Annotate this Image
Directions: Use the magnifier to help you analyze the United Farm Workers (UFW) flyer. Then use the annotation tool to take notes on the following questions:
- What details do you notice?
- Why do you think UFW workers chose this photograph for their boycott appeal?
- Why did newspapers find the flyer newsworthy?
- What is the tone of the text?
Download the notes to share with your class.
Source: “Every California grape you buy helps keep this child hungry.” Permission has been granted for educational purposes only, courtesy of United Farm Workers Collection, Walter P. Reuther Library, Wayne State University
Use the toggle button above to switch to Magnify Mode. Magnify mode will help you see finer detail in the image.
Switch back to Annotate Mode to create your annotations with click and drag.
Your Annotations