Dolores Huerta. Larry Itliong. Philip Vera Cruz. These forgotten leaders of the ‘60s farmworkers’ labor movement lie in the shadows while America honors Cesar Chavez Day on March 31. While Chavez’s contributions of leading one of the major organizations involved in the movement and working to negotiate labor contracts should not be forgotten, the efforts of these under-appreciated leaders of the movement must be recognized. Highlighting a singular individual with a problematic past isn’t entirely representative of the hundreds of farmworkers who made the movement what it was.
