UFW
9 minutes ·
Marcos Munoz arrived in Boston with only a supporter’s phone number
—and cleaned the grapes out of New England in two years
We sadly learned heroic Delano grape strike picket captain, grape boycott organizer and lifelong social justice champion Marcos Munoz peacefully passed away today (Saturday, May 15) in his adopted hometown of Chicago.
Cesar Chavez sent Marcos Munoz to organize the grape boycott in Boston in 1967 with only a supporter’s name and phone number. Within two years Marcos, who was illiterate, cleaned grapes out of all national and regional supermarket chains across New England.
Marcos, one of six children, left Mexico unescorted at age 13 for Texas, where he worked on a ranch for room and board. The migrant trail led Marcos to California where he joined the 1965 Delano grape strike as a picket captain. Explaining to Marcos how to practice nonviolence, Cesar said, “If you get angry, just put your hands in your pockets and pinch your legs.”
Organizing the grape boycott in Boston, the first time he spoke at Harvard, “where many people are very educated, I was very nervous because I didn’t speak English very good. But I was encouraged by the people” who were inspired to respond. “Marcos had a gift for connecting with other humans,” affirms his wife, Andrea Munoz, who Marcos met in Boston in 1968.
“They opened themselves up to him and wanted to help.”
Marcos was dispatched to Chicago as Midwest boycott coordinator during the second grape boycott in 1973. There he also dramatically cut grape sales, producing California’s 1975 farm labor law.
Settling in Chicago upon leaving the UFW that year, Marcos organized 45 block clubs in Latino neighborhoods, getting neighbors to clean up alleys and streets and giving pride to residents. Marcos’ political activism helped put into office responsive Latino elected officials from the community such as now U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia and helped make ally Harold Washington the first African American mayor of Chicago.
“Marcos personified the unfailing faith my father had that the poorest and least educated among us could both take on one of California’s richest industries and become involved in changing their own communities,” observed Cesar Chavez Foundation President Paul F. Chavez.
“He used to say the greatest poverty in life is not to know you are good for something—that you have something to contribute to others,” Andrea said.
Marcos agreed: “Cesar and the union created in me that I was somebody, that I had something to say, that I had rights equal to everybody. It don’t matter if I could read and write or not. It mattered that I was a human being. And one human being to other human beings they responded by not eating grapes and that brought justice to farm workers. [The UFW] brought hope to many farm workers. The struggle still continues, but that was the beginning.”
When Marcos began his union labors, average life expectancy for farm workers was 49 years. Andrea told Marcos when he turned 80 on April 25, “You should be happy you almost doubled the average life expectancy of farm workers because of all the contributions you made.” Marcos’ great-grandson helped him blow out the candles on his cake that day.
Marcos Munoz is survived by his wife, Andrea O’Malley Munoz; daughter Maria Munoz; grandson Anthony Thompson and his wife, Montenay Thompson; and great-grandson Zion Omega Thompson.
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The United Farm Workers helped to almost double the life expectancy of farm workers.
Rest in Peace Marcos Munoz.
Salute,
Tony V.
Poll
