![]() ![]() ![]() The opposite side of the arch includes two important personages to the movement: Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers and Chavez’s partner in the movement’s endeavors, with one hand evoking her powers to persuade growers to amend the unjust treatment of the farm workers, and with the other hand representing the power of non-violent actions through marches and boycotts. The hoe is featured in gold to commemorate this fact. One of Chavez’s most important achievements was the abolishment of the short hoe, which was responsible for many injuries to workers. ![]() In keeping with his humility, the exterior of the arch depicts not Chavez, but two campesinos bent over in the fields of California. Lurking in the sky, a calaca (skeleton) represents the ever present need for vigilance, to ensure decent conditions for the workers and reminds us that the struggle is not over in the fields. La Virgen de Guadalupe, the indigenous patron saint of Mexico and the revered symbol of the farm workers, blesses the struggle with roses. The image highlights fasting as a cornerstone to his philosophy of non-violence. Kennedy as he breaks a 25-day fast accompanied by his wife Helen and his mother Juana. Above in a cloud, Chavez is joined by Robert F. In the interior of the arch, the central mural depicts a contemplative Chavez as a farm worker leader and organizer looking over the California fields where the historic grape strike took place, with the farm workers represented metaphorically as twisted vines.
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