4.1 - Larry Itliong: Unity of Filipino and Mexican Farmworkers
OverviewObjectivesEssayVocabularyDiscussion QuestionsActivity 1Activity 2Activity 3 Further Information StandardsCredits
Grade: 6-12Subject: English Language Arts, U.S. History
Number of Activities: 3
Overview:
This lesson explores the experiences and contributions of Filipino American farmworkers in the fields of California’s Central Valley during the mid-1960s. Migrant farmworkers, who worked long hours for low wages and were not protected by labor laws, organized for better living and working conditions. Larry Itliong, a Filipino labor organizer and co-founder of the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC), advocated for workers’ rights and called for solidarity with Mexican American migrant farmworkers, leading to the formation of the United Farmworkers Union (UFW). Together, Filipino and Mexican Americans engaged in a five-year-long workers’ strike and boycott against the California grape industry.
 
Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
 
Topic/Background Essay:
After the Spanish-American War ended in 1898, the United States took possession of the Philippines, making it an American territory. In 1899, after fighting for independence from Spain, Filipinos waged a war for independence against the United States. The Philippine-American War ended in 1902 with the U.S. establishing civil government in the Philippines. The Philippine Independence Act established the Philippine Commonwealth with a 10-year transitional period from 1935 to 1945, thus paving the way for the Philippines to become independent from the United States in 1946.
From 1900 to 1934, Filipinos began immigrating to the California Central Valley, where there was a high demand for field laborers. Filipino immigrants, known as “Pinoys,” worked in the fields of the San Joaquin Valley, Salinas, and Sacramento. Another wave of Filipino immigration occurred after the passage of the Immigration Act of 1965.
Many Filipinos found themselves isolated from the rest of American society due to anti-Filipino racial incidents, housing discrimination and language barriers. Among male Filipino farmworkers, many remained single into old age due to U.S. anti-miscegenation laws, and are referred to as “ manongs, ” a term of respect for elderly Filipino men.
Without labor unions, migrant farmworkers were not being protected under existing labor laws. Living and working conditions were harsh and exploitative, including long hours, low wages, child labor, lack of workers’ rights such as pensions and healthcare, crowded living quarters, and non-functioning toilets.
In September 1965, Larry Itliong, a manong labor leader and co-founder of the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC), inspired Filipino farmworkers in Delano, California to initiate a strike against the grape farm owners. After they began striking, Itliong and other Filipino leaders such as Philip Vera Cruz, urged Mexican Americans to join Filipino farmworkers and fight for civil rights instead of being used as strikebreakers. Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez, civil rights leaders who had been organizing Mexican American farmworkers, were convinced by Filipino leaders to strike together. Thus, Filipinos and Mexican Americans formed the United Farm Workers (UFW), striking as one.
The Delano Grape Strike inspired people around the nation and Europe to support the farmworkers by boycotting grapes.The Grape Boycott continued for five years until July 1970 and led to the grape growers to agree to increase wages, contribute to union health plans, and provide protection from field pesticides. The joint Filipino and Mexican American effort would later lead to the passage of the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975, providing collective-bargaining powers for farmworkers state-wide.
Today, farmworkers still suffer from difficult living and working conditions including job hazards and instability, and continue to fight for labor rights.
 
Vocabulary
 
Discussion Questions:
 
Activity 1: History of Filipino Immigration
Many of the Filipinos who migrated and immigrated to the U.S. from the Philippines were farmworkers. Students will gain a background understanding of how Filipinos came to the United States.
Divide students up into groups of three to four and assign students to read the Background Essay.
Tell students to annotate the letter using a chosen strategy by the teacher.
Have each group research each of the following historical events between the United States and the Philippines and answer the accompanying question(s):
Conduct a class discussion on the following:
 
Activity 2: Delano Grape Strike
Instruct students to conduct detailed research from primary and secondary sources on the Delano Grape Strike. Have students answer the following questions. After, have students come back as a class and prepare to discuss and share their answers:
 
Activity 3: Farmworkers Today
Tell students that they will look at present day farmworkers, many of whom are immigrants. As a class, we will explore the challenges they face while being an integral part of the American agricultural industry.
Ask students to address the four subjects and corresponding questions below. Students should conduct research from high-quality sources as they relate to working conditions for today’s farmworkers.
Conduct a class discussion based on their research and have students share their findings.
 
Further Information:
  • “Author, Poet, and Worker: The World of Carlos Bulosan,” University of Washington Libraries.
  • “Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies.” UC Berkeley Social Science Matrix.