On Thursday, September 15th, the San Luis Library, 1075 N 6th Avenue, will present “In His Own Words: The Life and Work of César Chávez,” an exhibition produced by Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The public is invited to a grand opening ceremony and ribbon cutting at 4:00 p.m. “In His Own Words” is made possible by a We the People grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Throughout his youth and into young adulthood, César Chávez experienced the hardships of being a migrant farm worker and the sting of racial discrimination. Motivated by a dream of justice and equality, Chávez dedicated himself to community organizing activities and, later, to founding the first farm workers’ union. He developed strategies to affect the change he envisioned inspired by the principles of his parents, the teachings of Catholicism and his mentors and the study of successful civil rights leaders. Utilizing strikes, boycotts, marches and other nonviolent tactics, Chávez worked tirelessly to secure better pay, job safety, improved living conditions and other essential protections for farm workers.
Featuring 38 photographs paired with excerpts from his dynamic speeches, interviews and authoritative writings, “In His Own Words” documents the full course of Chávez’s remarkable career and examines the life experiences and philosophical influences that drove him to dedicate himself fully to improving the lives of American farm workers.
The exhibition will be on display to the public from September 15th to October 18th. For more information, call Lorenia Diaz, San Luis Library Manager, at (928) 627-8344.
Humanities Texas develops and supports diverse programs across the state, including lectures, oral history projects, teacher institutes, traveling exhibitions and documentary films. For more information, please visit Humanities Texas online or call (512) 440-1991.