CESAR CHAVEZ * TEN FOR SOCIAL WORK * COFFEE QUOTES * Bill's Coffeeshop Newsletter * Vol. 13 * March 25, 2012

SPIRIT AND LEGACY OF CESAR CHAVEZ
Cesar Chavez died 19 years ago. But his spirit and vision live on in the

United Farm Workers union he founded and in the Cesar Chavez holiday

celebrated on March 31 each year.

I was thinking about Chavez recently while watching the movie Food

Inc. The message from the filmmakers is a simple one: The way food is being grown

and manufactured in the US is not healthy. But we can change that.

Chavez would have loved the film. He lived its message for most of his

life, and he encouraged the rest of us to do the same.  

Chavez was the visionary leader behind the United Farm Workers (UFW) union.

He's also a good candidate for a social work hero. 

I first heard about Cesar Chavez in 1968, when members of the UFW

came to Minneapolis seeking support for a boycott of head lettuce. Later,

there was a boycott of table grapes.

The UFW didn't send just the farmworkers – two entire families came to

spread the labor union's message. My first assignment was to find winter

clothing for the families. I went on to picketing, asking churches and

schools not to serve grapes, and urging grocers to carry only lettuce with

the UFW Black Eagle on the box.

Despite all this, I still was not prepared for the man I found when I first

met Cesar Chavez. I met him several times while I was editor of the

East San Jose Sun, a weekly newspaper serving the city where Chavez had

grown up and gotten his start as an activist.

For an activist, he was quite reserved, almost shy. And for a union leader, he seemed 

uncomfortable in the spotlight. Yet he was very inspiring. I remember

thinking one time when I was listening to him: If there are saints in our

time, Chavez surely must be one.

Over the years, he and others told me about his life and his organizer.

Chavez moved to San Jose, California in 1952 to organize a local chapter of

the Community Service Organization (CSO). The group was born in Los Angeles,

growing out of a city council campaign there. Fred Ross, an organizer from

Saul Alinsky's organization in Chicago, played a key role in getting the

group started. (Saul Alinsky got his start with Back of the Yards, a

community group near Hull House.)

From Los Angeles, Ross went to work organizing other CSO chapters around the

state. He hired Cesar Chavez to help. Chavez moved to San Jose and organized

a CSO chapter there. At one time, the San Jose chapter was the biggest of a

string of CSOs around California. The chapter offered immigration

assistance, citizenship class and related projects.

Chavez left San Jose in 1962, intent on starting a labor union for

farmworkers. He had been concerned about the plight of farmworkers, many

from Mexico or of Mexican descent, for a number of years. But he had been

unable to persuade CSO to become an advocate on behalf of "campesinos."

So he quit his CSO job and headed to the Salinas Valley to start

organizing. He organized nationwide boycotts of grapes, Gallo wine and head

lettuce to draw attention to the poor wages and working conditions of

farmworkers – and to pressure growers to sign contracts with the union. The

boycotts were successful and the UFW signed contracts covering thousands of

workers.

By the mid-1970s, it appeared that the struggle for better wages and working

conditions for farmworkers had been won. But a series of setbacks during the

1980s slowed the UFW momentum and even erased some of its earlier gains. By

1990, it was clear that some new strategy was needed. So Chavez and other

union leaders decided to return to San Jose where he had begun 30 years

before.

The last time I saw Chavez was in 1992, less than a year before he died. The

scene was a familiar one – in front of a grocery store in San Jose. It was a

sort of homecoming for Chavez; his appearance brought out many activist

friends. In his talk, he linked the dreams of rural farmworkers to the sense

of justice in urban consumers. He urged us to act on our shared hopes for a

better community. Once again I had that feeling: I am in the presence of an

extraordinary person.

Chavez died in 1993. But his legacy continues, both in the UFW and in the

day set aside each March to remember his life and work. 

(You can find out more by visiting these websites: www.ufw.org and

www.cesarchavezfoundation.org.)

His legacy lies in each of us, too. We can follow his example, using justice,

fairness and concern for the environment as measures for where we shop

for our food and what we buy. For more ideas on how to do this, 

visit: www.takepart.com.

MUSIC, POETRY, LIVE TV & MORE...

Wednesday, March 28. 1:30 pm. Film: Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars. (See the film now; see the band live in May at the Englert.) 7 pm. Spoken Word

Thursday, March 29. 6 pm. Artvaark (Art activities).

7-9 pm. Big Open Mic hosted by Arts Enterprise (Five minute performances)

Friday, March 30, 1-4 pm. Chess, Scrabble and other games.. 5 pm. Music with Almost Circle

Saturday, March 31. 7 pm. Saturday Night Music: Pennies on the Rail.

Wednesday, April 4. 1:30 pm: Film: Al Otro Lado (To the Other Side). 7 pm Spoken Word

Thursday, April 5. 6 pm Artvaark. 7 pm. Open Mic. 8 pm Music with Statue of Liberty

Friday, April 6. 1-4 pm. Chess, Scrabble and other games. Passover begins at sundown

Saturday, April 7. 4:30 pm. Irish Sessions. 7 pm. Saturday Night Music: Avery Mossman/Projectors

Wednesday, April 11. 1:30 pm. Film: Bill On His Own. 6 pm: Abilities Awareness Art Night.

7 pm. Spoken Word.

Thursday, April 12. 6 pm Artvaark (art activities). 7 pm. Open Mic.

Friday, April 13. 1-4 pm. Chess, Scrabble and other games. 6:30 pm. Benefit Concert featuring the band No Coast. Hosted by I-Envision.

Saturday, April 14. 10 am to 6 pm: Bill Sackter Birthday Party. 7 pm. Saturday Night Music; Half Fast.

Tuesday, April 17. 7 pm. Music with Musical Charis (acoustic Americana), Orion Walsh (folk rock) and Zuh G. (reggae)

ADDING A TENTH TO A LIST OF

'TEN IDEAS FOR SOCIAL WORK'

From time to time, the Coffeeshop Newsletter has offered a list of 'Ten ideas for social work ' 

There are nine ideas on the list; readers are invited to suggest a tenth.  It's been awhile, so we'd

like to try this again.

Here is the original list of nine:

1. Be tolerant

2. Widen your circle

3. Have high expectations

4. Stay young

5. Find people you can trust

6. Take time to be alone

7. Read a daily paper

8. Support a public library

9. Have hope

Here's a sampling  of suggestions from readers for a tenth. Take a look at

these:

***Be non-judgemental  ***Open yourself up to new ideas  ***Understand and

celebrate differences  ***Write a letter instead of an e-mail

***Be a good listener ***Be passionated about your work ***Invest in the

future (youth, community, share, recycling) ***Have a sense of humor

***Let things affect you, move you  ***Listen  ***Play with children

***Be open to challenges ***Love the people you work for  ***Trust yourself

***Talk to people  ***Always stand up for what you believe in ***Never stop

learning   ***Dissolve your judgments  ***Let out your creativity

***Connect yourself and the environment

Now, it's time to add yours. We'll print additional ideas in coming issue of the Newsletter. 

FOR YOUR COFFEE BREAK:

QUOTES ABOUT COFFEE

Coffee makes us severe, and grave, and philosophical ~ Jonathan Swift,

author of Gulliver's Travels

***Behind every successful woman...is a substantial amount of coffee ~

Stephanie Piro, cartoonist and author of "Caffeinated Cartoons: Cartoons

about coffee and tea."

***A morning without coffee is like...sleep  ~Author unknown.

Have a favorite quote about coffee? Or a caffeinated joke? Send it to us.

Just click reply and start writing.

LOOKING BACK IN THE

BILL'S NEWSLETTER

Nine year ago (2003): Bill Sackter, Jane Addams, Ida B. Wells and other

figures from social work history will come to life in "Good Evening from

Bill's Coffeeshop," a radio drama opening soon at Wild Bill's and Uptown Bill's.

Ten years ago (2002): Thursday evening potlucks have become a regular

feature at Wild Bill's offeeshop.

Eleven years ago (2001): Stop by Wild Bill's and make a poster to honor

the important women in your life. It's a project for Women's History Month.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bill's Coffeeshop Newsletter is a virtual extension of Wild Bill's Coffeeshop and Uptown Bill's Coffee House. Published since 2000, the Newsletter is written by Tom Gilsenan, a former manager of Wild Bill's and now director of Uptown Bill's. You can write to him at tomgilsenan@gmail.com

Wild Bill's Coffeeshop is a project of the School of Social Work at the University of Iowa. It has been a part of campus life in Iowa City for more than 35 years. Located in North Hall, the coffeeshop is open weekdays from 8 am. For more information, check the Friends of Bill's Coffeeshop page on Facebook. You can call the coffeeshop at (319) 335-1281. Donations to support the work of the coffeeshop may be sent to: Bill's Coffeeshop Fund, University of Iowa Foundation, P.O. Box 4550, Iowa City, IA 52244. Contributions are tax deductible.

Uptown Bill's is the crosstown cousin of Wild Bill's. Now in its 11th year, it includes a bookstore, performance venue and other businesses in addition to a coffeeshop. Located at 730 S. Dubuque, Uptown Bill's is open Monday through Saturday from 10 am. For more information, check the Uptown Bill's website or Facebook page. You can call Uptown Bill's at (319) 339-0804. Donations to support the work of Uptown Bill's may be sent to: Extend the Dream Foundation, Uptown Bill's, 730 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City, IA 52240. Contributions are tax deductible.

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In the spirit of Bill Sackter, Uptown Bill's strives to nurture and encourage a gathering place where people of all abilities are welcome. Find us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Watch us on You Tube: www.youtube.com/playlist?p=PLEE41220297F8D82C

Visit our web page: www.uptownbills.org