By Lizette LizardoStaff Writer
To eat, or not to eat, that was the question. And for members ofMEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan), the answer was notto eat.
For 24-36 hours, about 100 members of MEChA and the United FarmWorkers San Diego Community (UFWSDC) participated in a fast to payhomage to farm workers who aren’t given adequate benefits, Nov.16-17.
The fast was also held to commemorate Cesar Chavez, founder of theUnited Farm Workers Association, the first successful United Statesfarm workers’ union.
“I don’t feel tempted to eat because I know it’s not right,”undeclared freshman Alex Pacheco said. “Cesar Chavez and others wereprobably tempted before, but they didn’t eat because they sacrificedand that’s what we think of this, as a sacrifice.”
To protest the pesticide poisoning of grape workers and theirchildren, Chavez conducted a 36-day “Fast for Life” in 1988 and MEChAis emulating his goal by establishing Fast for Life on campus.
To honor Chavez’s legacy, MEChA and UFWSDC held a rally andovernight vigil at the Free Speech steps starting last Thursday.Their goal was to promote and bring awareness to the San Diegocommunity about the struggles farm workers have to put up with,specifically in Oxnard, a seaside city located between Santa Barbaraand Los Angeles.
The fast began at midnight Thursday and ended after a 24 or 36hour period.
Pacheco and the rest of the participants could only drink waterduring the fast. To prepare for the fast, participants were told topractice by eating three times a day and then finally cutting itdown.
“Two days before the fast, you just had to eat once or eat lessthan normal,” Pacheco said.
During the fast, a few people experienced headaches, said Pacheco.He said he did not have any headaches. People who had a weakcondition and got ill quick were not expected to fast.
“By the time we’re done, hopefully we’ll have informed about 100more people about PictSweet,” Pacheco said.
Since 1987, hundreds of workers at PictSweet Mushroom Farms inVentura Country, north of Los Angeles, have not had a union contract.Seeking a contract from PictSweet, the UFW union called for anational boycott against the company.
Major food store chains like Vons, Ralph’s and Food 4 Less havestopped buying the mushrooms, Pacheco said.
A worker picking mushrooms at PictSweet would earn about $350 aweek, which is not enough to cover mortgage, car payment and otherbills, one former farm worker told the Ventura County Star.
About a dozen workers who were laid off by PictSweet, spoke at therally in Montezuma Hall. Speaking in Spanish, they addressed issuespertaining to their former work place and about retrieving aunionization contract.
A few held up signs that read: “Every pint helps the cost. Freshmushrooms or frozen foods.” The signs emphasized the farmers’ desireto boycott PictSweet Mushroom Farms. A flier at the rally was handedout, which read: Don’t buy PictSweet fresh mushrooms or frozen foods.
They are following the lead of Chavez, who in 1970, led a UFWboycott that got farm workers union contracts, better wages, medicalcare, pension plans and an improved working environment.
Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the UFW, was also honored, but didnot attend the rally due to an illness. Students and communitymembers gave blood to the labor activist who is still in criticalcondition after surgery. Her son, Enrique Huerta, also spoke at therally about his mother’s condition.
“She had internal bleeding, she was bleeding internally, there’sno way a 71-year-old woman should live (experiencing so much pain),”he said. “But she’s a strong woman, she’s involved in spirit andmind.”
Huerta also spoke about the fast as a respectful way to honor hisculture.
This was MEChA’s second annual rally and overnight candlelightvigil. California Gov. Gray Davis recently made Cesar Chavez Day astate holiday for March 31, 2001.
