While many in this nation might have the mind to start a movement, few have the heart actually to do it. One reason for this is that our culture has been slow to "mine the movement for human treasures," as historian Vincent Harding once wrote. Often we prefer to perceive movements as mindless collectives charging around the countryside with banners and pitchforks rather than focus on the beautiful collection of human jewels that come together to make up movements. By honoring the heart and soul required to participate in struggles for social justice, we will perhaps remember that movements require the fullness of our humanity, not just political theories and organizing strategies.
The Fight in the Fields: César Chávez and the Farmworkers Struggle, a PBS documentary produced, written, and directed by Rick Tejada-Flores and Ray Telles, uncovers the human treasures contained in the history of the United Farmworkers Union (UFW). The Fight in the Fields documents the plight of farmworkers in this country and the efforts to organize them by focusing on the heart of the movement, César Chávez, who died in 1993.
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