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born on
October 25, 1913 in the Philippines.
Not having finished grammar school,
the |
UAW President Walter
Reuther, Cesar Chavez, Larry Itliong (at left) in Delano,
1965.
Photo by George Ballis. (from
home.earthlink.net/~almas2/
MARCHCOMP.JPG) |
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self-educated labor leader came to the United States in
1929. He worked and was involved in union causes in both
California and Alaska. In 1956, he founded the Filipino Farm
Labor Union in California.
Together with another Filipino - Philip Vera Cruz, Larry
Itliong convinced Cesar Chavez's predominantly Mexican NFWA
(National Farm Workers Association) to join the strike and
boycott in the Delano grape fields in 1965, demanding better
pay and benefits from the grape growers. Thereafter, the
Filipino and Mexican farmworkers groups joined together to
form the United Farm Workers (UFW).
The
Filipino labor leader later went on to become the highest
ranking Filipino officers of the UFW, attaining the position
of "Second Vice President" of the union. Itliong worked
closely with Chavez and Dolores Huerta in bringing justice
for the immigrant farm workers in California but his
contributions are heavily downplayed in the history books.
Cesar Chavez, who took over the leadership of the UFW, has
been lifted to American hero status, with his birthday,
March 31, being celebrated as a holiday in several states,
including California.
Itliong’s rightful place in history, however, only happened
thirty years after he died on February 8, 1977. On 31 March
2006, during a ceremony that marked a time of celebration of
the life and accomplishments of Cesar Chavez, Assembly
Speaker Pro Tempore Leland Yee took the opportunity to honor
Itliong’s pivotal role in history. In presenting the
official California Assembly Resolution honoring Itliong’s
contributions to the state, Mr. Yee said: "Itliong is an
unsung hero to all workers and to all the communities. It
is unfortunate that someone who was such a great
communicator, and in fact spoke nine Philippine dialects, is
often overlooked when remembering the labor movement,
Itliong deserves greater recognition for his work.”
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