Boycott
Grapes, Support the United Farm Workers Union

The piece of work that I have chosen
is the, Boycott
Grapes, Support the United Farm Workers Union by the artist Xavier Veramonte’s.
It is a poster that represents the struggle for Chicano rights. The Aztec
warrior demonstrates an angry and fierce face while squeezing the grapes in its
hands viciously extracting the juices from the fruit, which may represent blood
and the sacrifices made during the boycott. The garments and headpiece of this
Aztec warrior carries significant symbolism as the decorative costume
symbolizes the ethnic heritage of the fieldworkers.

The artist himself, who is of
Mexican descent, intended to bring awareness to the Mexican American farm
workers in the 70s that were working in poor conditions as well as receiving
poor pay for their work. This piece serves as a visual expression of Latin
American themes such as history, culture, identity, and heritage. This painted
poster brings us back to the history of social movements demonstrated by
oppressed minorities and this particular movement had gained leverage and
recognition that delivered César Chávez as a world as a leader for Mexican
American civil rights. Themes such as culture, identity, and culture exists
within the poster as it gives a representation of the identity and heritage of
the Aztec/Mexican people. The garments on the warrior shows the culture aspect
of the farm workers as well.

            Diving into more of the history
behind this painted poster, in the 70’s, the grape boycott was a social
movement that was led by the United Farm Workers Union (UFW) that created
awareness for those farm workers who struggled with rights to receive better
pay and working conditions. This group was led by a César Chávez. Many of these
workers worked in Southern California’s Coachella valley. This brought great
pain and sacrifice for those involved. “Coachella growers had begun signing
labor contracts with the United Farm Workers Union in 1970, but cooperation
between the groups did not last for long. Just before the 1973 harvest, the
International Brotherhood of Teamsters (bit) union moved in to negotiate
sweetheart contracts,

with
terms favoring the growers and kickbacks lining the pockets of Teamsters
officials”(Matthew, 2007).[1] The
Teamsters tried to beat UFW challengers into submission by physically
intimidating them  such violence had
become normal for the local people there who struggled to remain peaceful.
César Chávez used his now-famous hunger strikes to quell the urge for
retaliation among his followers and redirected the union’s energy away from
strikes, toward

boycotts
and the establishment of the Agricultural Labor Relations Board in California”
(Matthew, 2007).[2]

César Chávez was able to to redirect
the energy of his followers towards boycotts instead of strikes. With this
nonviolent strategy, it succeeded in gaining national and international
sympathy for the Coachella valley workers that had received a decade of abuse
and trauma. The reason for such success was in part of the UFW ability to gain
attention through the grape boycott. Although grapes were grown throughout
California, the strategic choice of picking the table-grape vineyards as a
battleground was due to the climate, labor, geography, and the market. Because
the grapes in the Coachella valley were the most important harvest of the
season as well as the first harvest to hit the market after a long winter, the
unionists and growers thought that their terms of production and conditions of
labor would follow suit if they started there.

This work is representative of the
peoples of Latin America because it shows a visual expression of those people
struggling for their rights in a place where they live as well as expressing
what these people identify as. It shows the artist’s pride in where their
ancestors come from and their heritage. As one doesn’t like to see their own
people struggle, this poster helps bring awareness to those who do not know
about the struggle that this certain group has went through.

Reference

Garcia, Matthew. 2007. "Labor,
Migration, and Social Justice in the Age of the Grape Boycott." Gastronomica 7, no. 3: 68-74. Academic Search Index, EBSCOhost (accessed December 5, 2016).

"Xavier Viramontes Printmaker
and Painter." Xavier Viramontes Printmaker and Painter. Accessed December
05, 2016. http://www.xavierviramontes.com/statement.html.

[1] Garcia, Matthew. 2007. "Labor, Migration, and Social
Justice in the Age of the Grape Boycott." Gastronomica 7, no. 3: 68-74. Academic
Search Index, EBSCOhost (accessed
December 5, 2016).

[2] Garcia, Matthew. 2007. "Labor, Migration, and Social
Justice in the Age of the Grape Boycott." Gastronomica 7, no. 3: 68-74. Academic
Search Index, EBSCOhost (accessed
December 5, 2016).

[1] Garcia, Matthew. 2007. "Labor, Migration, and Social
Justice in the Age of the Grape Boycott." Gastronomica 7, no. 3: 68-74. Academic
Search Index, EBSCOhost (accessed
December 5, 2016).

[2] Garcia, Matthew. 2007. "Labor, Migration, and Social
Justice in the Age of the Grape Boycott." Gastronomica 7, no. 3: 68-74. Academic
Search Index, EBSCOhost (accessed
December 5, 2016).

"Xavier Viramontes Printmaker
and Painter." Xavier Viramontes Printmaker and Painter. Accessed December
05, 2016. http://www.xavierviramontes.com/statement.html.

Garcia, Matthew. 2007. "Labor,
Migration, and Social Justice in the Age of the Grape Boycott." Gastronomica 7, no. 3: 68-74. Academic Search Index, EBSCOhost (accessed December 5, 2016).

Reference

This work is representative of the
peoples of Latin America because it shows a visual expression of those people
struggling for their rights in a place where they live as well as expressing
what these people identify as. It shows the artist’s pride in where their
ancestors come from and their heritage. As one doesn’t like to see their own
people struggle, this poster helps bring awareness to those who do not know
about the struggle that this certain group has went through.

César Chávez was able to to redirect
the energy of his followers towards boycotts instead of strikes. With this
nonviolent strategy, it succeeded in gaining national and international
sympathy for the Coachella valley workers that had received a decade of abuse
and trauma. The reason for such success was in part of the UFW ability to gain
attention through the grape boycott. Although grapes were grown throughout
California, the strategic choice of picking the table-grape vineyards as a
battleground was due to the climate, labor, geography, and the market. Because
the grapes in the Coachella valley were the most important harvest of the
season as well as the first harvest to hit the market after a long winter, the
unionists and growers thought that their terms of production and conditions of
labor would follow suit if they started there.

boycotts
and the establishment of the Agricultural Labor Relations Board in California”
(Matthew, 2007).[2]

with
terms favoring the growers and kickbacks lining the pockets of Teamsters
officials”(Matthew, 2007).[1] The
Teamsters tried to beat UFW challengers into submission by physically
intimidating them  such violence had
become normal for the local people there who struggled to remain peaceful.
César Chávez used his now-famous hunger strikes to quell the urge for
retaliation among his followers and redirected the union’s energy away from
strikes, toward

            Diving into more of the history
behind this painted poster, in the 70’s, the grape boycott was a social
movement that was led by the United Farm Workers Union (UFW) that created
awareness for those farm workers who struggled with rights to receive better
pay and working conditions. This group was led by a César Chávez. Many of these
workers worked in Southern California’s Coachella valley. This brought great
pain and sacrifice for those involved. “Coachella growers had begun signing
labor contracts with the United Farm Workers Union in 1970, but cooperation
between the groups did not last for long. Just before the 1973 harvest, the
International Brotherhood of Teamsters (bit) union moved in to negotiate
sweetheart contracts,

The artist himself, who is of
Mexican descent, intended to bring awareness to the Mexican American farm
workers in the 70s that were working in poor conditions as well as receiving
poor pay for their work. This piece serves as a visual expression of Latin
American themes such as history, culture, identity, and heritage. This painted
poster brings us back to the history of social movements demonstrated by
oppressed minorities and this particular movement had gained leverage and
recognition that delivered César Chávez as a world as a leader for Mexican
American civil rights. Themes such as culture, identity, and culture exists
within the poster as it gives a representation of the identity and heritage of
the Aztec/Mexican people. The garments on the warrior shows the culture aspect
of the farm workers as well.

The piece of work that I have chosen
is the, Boycott
Grapes, Support the United Farm Workers Union by the artist Xavier Veramonte’s.
It is a poster that represents the struggle for Chicano rights. The Aztec
warrior demonstrates an angry and fierce face while squeezing the grapes in its
hands viciously extracting the juices from the fruit, which may represent blood
and the sacrifices made during the boycott. The garments and headpiece of this
Aztec warrior carries significant symbolism as the decorative costume
symbolizes the ethnic heritage of the fieldworkers.

Boycott
Grapes, Support the United Farm Workers Union