“My friends, as we enter a new decade, it should be clear to all of us that there is an unfinished agenda, that we have miles to go before we reach the promised land.” 

These are the words Cesar Chavez used one time when reflecting on Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy. 

And today, these are the words I want to remember as we reflect on his. 

When Cesar Chavez started the National Farm Workers’ Association (known today as the United Farm Workers) in the early 1960s, his goal was clear and specific: that farm workers across the United States have the right to organize and demand better wages and safe working conditions. 

Cesar Chavez was talented with words: he could speak to people’s values and innermost yearnings. And Dolores Huerta is a leader whose heart and humility inspires trust in others, making them naturally want to follow her. 

Together, the two leaders brought together millions of people across the US to support the plight of Filipino, Chinese, and Mexican American farm workers. 

And their movimiento was successful. 

The United Farm Workers represented between 30,000 and 40,000 members in the 1970s. According to the Library of Congress, farm workers secured higher wages, protection from pesticides, and better employment benefits regarding healthcare and paid time off. 

But 32 years after his death, the situation has regressed. 

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 1.5% of workers in the farming, fishing, and poultry industries were members of a labor union in 2024. And efforts to unionize today are constantly met with legal challenges by their employers. 

Like Cesar Chavez said, we still have miles to go. 

Dolores Huerta was recently interviewed for the LA Public Library and Getty Museum’s Alta: A Human Atlas of a City of Angels. This is a sociological and art project featuring 100 changemakers in Los Angeles. 

Reflecting on her time organizing the Delano grape strike of 1965 with Cesar Chavez, she said, “People have power, but they don’t understand that they have power. They need to not only understand, but they need to use their power by participating in civic life.” 

They planned to strike for eight years, but thanks to the participation of 17 million people in a national grape boycott, it ended up taking five years before they secured the 25-cent raise they were asking for. 

Progress doesn’t come easy. 

But no matter how dark it gets, don’t forget you have power. 

¡Sí se puede! 

Viva la causa,