Philip vera cruz quotes professional#
Philip vera cruz quotes series#

This strike led to the two groups merging in 1966 to establish the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee, AFL-CIO, which eventually became the United Farm Workers of America.” 16, 1965, the mostly Mexican National Farm Workers Association, led by César Chávez and Dolores Huerta, voted to join the strike at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Delano, California. In unifying, these two groups built a powerful movement for change. Over 1,500 Filipino American farm workers made history that day.” “The Delano Grape Strike, which was started on Septemat the Filipino American Community Hall in Delano, California, by the mostly Filipino American Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee led by labor leaders Manong Larry Itliong, Manong Philip Vera Cruz and Manong Pete Velasco. Mark Pulido gave some history on the importance of the commemoration:

Philip vera cruz quotes series#

This past Saturday, September 18, 2010, the Agbayani Pilgrimage Organizing Committee (Mark Pulido and Marissa Pulido Rebaya, co-coordinators) organized a series of events in Delano to commemorate this historic event, raise community consciousness and pay tribute to the Delano Manongs. That strike was led by Filipino labor leaders who organized themselves into the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC). The Los Angeles City Council last week adopted a resolution acknowledging the 45th anniversary of the historic 1965 Delano Grape Strike.

There is an alternate purpose to education: it is public service, and with it you can build value. Use your imagination to take an issue, understand it, and figure out a way to fill the void and help others. Remember this moment and the emotional remarks of Jonny Itliong you just heard.

Have the courage and confidence the Manongs had. You can build value you don’t have to work for someone else.įollow the example of Manong Larry Itliong, Manong Philip Veracruz, Manong Pete Velasco.

Philip vera cruz quotes professional#

You can turn your understanding of the world around you into an opportunity for others to thrive.Īnd so here is the challenge: as many of you no doubt will move on to a professional degree, law school, med school, as others of you go on to get your master’s and PhD, and as many of you leave campus grounds to go directly into the labor force, know that there is an alternate possibility. They built social value in turning their deep understanding of their circumstance into an opportunity to transform lives.Īs you consider your next steps after college, know that there is an alternate possibility. The many unheralded community workers, educators and community leaders who came before and after them also did the same. The courage of the Manongs to mobilize and get organized not only had impact on the farmworkers among them back then, it had an impact on generations of farmworkers after them. We also need to use our knowledge and turn it into action, into service.Įducation turned into service builds value. But as the example of the Manongs tells us, it is not enough to have knowledge, it is not enough to understand what’s going on. Education does enrich and allow us a better understanding of what’s happening around us. Some say it is knowledge, but I want to amend it. Here’s the reflection: What is the purpose of an education? Both are fitting with the economy being poor, and as many of you think about next steps. Alumni had an opportunity to share some remarks this is an abridged version of mine. On Friday, Octoat the Viewpoint Conference Room in Ackerman Union, UCLA Samahang Pilipino celebrated what would have been Manong Larry Itliong’s 97th birthday.