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
PHOTO BY JON LEWIS
This expression of fear on the face of Cesar Chavez is the only photo among many hundreds I have examined that show this emotion. The Fast for Nonviolence was the first public fast undertaken by Cesar Chavez during his 31-year as founder/leader of the farmworker movement and its effect on his health was unpredictable and unsettling. He was very unsure of himself and his ability to withstand the physical demands of the fast. Union officers, Julio Hernandez and Philip Vera Cruz help Chavez to walk to the Catholic Mass in the makeshift chapel. The Rev. Jim Drake, Chavez’s first lieutenant, brings up the rear.
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