On September 30, 1962, legendary Chicano civil rights activist Cesar Chavez founded what would become the United Farm Workers of America—and with migrant labor a focus of the U.S. political debate, the UFW’s 50th anniversary is especially relevant.
Harvesting Labor Rights: Chavez’s UFW At 50
Bettmann / CORBIS
Living conditions for migrant farm workers in Watsonville, CA. Nearly 300 farmworkers were finally removed from the Gondo Farm Workers' Camp in Santa Cruz County in August 1957 because of "deplorable conditions." A joint U.S.-Mexican government inspection team found "serious violations" of the international agreement covering cleanliness and sanitation.