Do you know what President Obama and Cesar Chavez have in common? Both were community organizers. President Obama of course was a community organizer in Chicago, Illinois. Chavez was a community organizer in 1952 for the Community Service Organization, a Latino civil rights group. Community organizers strive to provide power for the powerless by influencing government and institutions and fostering social and political reform.
March 31st is Cesar Chavez's birthday. Born in 1927 in Yuma, Arizona Cesar's parents were migrate workers during the Great Depression. Due to the nature of their work, Cesar attended 30 different schools up until the 8th grade at which time he quit school in order to care for his ailing parents. His years growing up in the harsh working conditions of the migrant fields, impacted his life's work; he fought to right the wrongs of social injustice through non-violent protesting, dedicating his life to improving the working conditions of thousands of California migrant workers.
Like Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. Cesar Chavez changed the course of history. He lived and brought to life many civics and history standards we teach within our classrooms, particularly those that relate to political and social conflict and the disparities between the ideals and reality of American political and social life.
This remarkable man's life, provides the foundation for us to teach standards that reach across the content areas as well as resonates Cesar's beliefs about the purpose of an education: "The end of all education should surely be service to others." Cesar Chavez
I've posted several Inspiration templates on the Inspired Learning Community for you to use with your students as you bring history to life in your classroom. Search the words "Cesar Chavez" to locate them. You can also view a TeacherTube video to see how the templates can be used. For other lessons to share with students, visit NCTE's and IRA's read*write*think .
And in a time of global interaction and impact we may wish to pause and give thought to the importance of our profession...
"It is not enough to teach our young people to be successful...so they can realize their ambitions, so they can earn good livings, so they can accumulate the material things that this society bestows. Those are worthwhile goals. But it is not enough to progress as individuals while our friends and neighbors are left behind." Cesar Chavez
Political and Social Activist Cesar Chavez
