Pilgrimage and revolution: How Cesar Chavez married faith and ideology in landmark farmworkers' march
On March 31, 1966, labor rights pioneer Cesar Chavez wasn't celebrating his birthday in any usual manner. Rather, he was 14 days into a 25-day pilg...
On March 31, 1966, labor rights pioneer Cesar Chavez wasn't celebrating his birthday in any usual manner. Rather, he was 14 days into a 25-day pilgrimage in California from Delano to Sacramento. Leading a group of striking farm laborers and supporters, Chavez's plan was to build momentum and support for the workers' cause in a march that would conclude on the steps of the California State Capitol on Easter Sunday morning. The date here is crucial. A foundational, but mostly forgotten, feature of the nearly 300-mile pilgrimage during Lent was that it was a deeply religious endeavor.