They Believed: Cesar Chavez on working conditions of farm laborers

When Shirley Temple Black — child actress, United Nations Ambassador and Nixon Republican — invited labor activist Cesar Chavez to speak to the Commonwealth Club about his work, he was wary of the request. As a result, he had his confidante and speechwriter, Marc Grossman, follow-up.

Here’s what he learned: Temple Black had been a member of the Screen Actor’s Guild and kept up her membership after she left the profession to support other actors. When she needed financial support for health challenges later in life, the guild paid as part of that membership.

“It turned out she was a pretty good trade unionist,” Grossman said. “She very much was a big fan of Cesar’s.”

Chavez accepted that invite and spoke to the Commonwealth Club in 1984, with a focus on the deplorable conditions farm laborers faced. While he wasn’t considered an impressive orator, according to Grossman, he was a powerful storyteller and that characteristic makes up most of his public work.

Grossman reminisced about this speech and the state of unions in the United States at that time in conversation with Kerri Miller for this installment of our occasional series, “They Believed.”

At this pivotal moment in U.S. history, we want to look back at the words of America’s firebrands, visionaries and truth-tellers. What do they reveal about who we were then – and who we are now?

Guest:

• Marc Grossman is a spokesman for the labor union, United Farm Workers and a longtime speechwriter for the union’s founder, Cesar Chavez.

To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above.

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