FAST AT THE FORTY ACRES (Photo Essay)
In the Spring of 1968, Cesar Chavez fasted for 25 days to recommit his farmworker movement to nonviolence. The Fast took place on the outskirts of Delano at the union headquarters called Forty Acres. The commentary for these photos was written by LeRoy Chatfield.
FAST AT FORTY ACRES – KOUNS & LEWIS 1968
Photographer Jon Lewis once said: I don’t shoot photos, I create photographs, and this is truly a remarkable photograph.
Jesus Marin Barrera and his wife, Amelia, dedicated farmworker union members from Porterville, are among the crowd waiting outside for the evening Catholic Mass to begin. The large cross has been decorated and flowers have been brought to decorate the area in front of the altar.
The crowds have become too large to accomodate everyone inside the makeshift chapel so the evening religious services have been moved outside and the altar has been elevated onto a stage so that all can see.
In the distance, you can see the tops of the tents erected on the Forty Acres to provide temporary housing for visiting farmworkers and supporters.
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