Category: Cesar’s Last Fast

Cesar Chavez, Cesar's Last Fast, Wisdom

Cesar’s Last Fast-Part II

Mona Alvarado Frazier
The Kickstarter campaign to raise money to complete the documentary “Cesar’s Last Fast,” began on September 25, 2011. Last week’s article discussed some of the reasons why filmmaker Richard Perez decided to make the film. This article explains why the film is important and how you, the community, can help complete the film and carry it to small and large screens everywhere.

People who grew up in the 60’s-80’s remember the boycotts, chants of huelga and numerous discussions about social justice. My mother and I participated in boycotts and she attended César’s funeral because “…he was a great man, like a good friend…”


But do our children know of this time in history. Do they know the reasons for the boycotts, UFW, or the man behind an historic social cause? Will they ever feel the stir of César’s words, the emotion behind the 36-day fast, the marches, the huelga flag? Give them the opportunity to see this film, because after they see it they will not only know the reasons, they will feel the emotion and understand the need to continue advocating for social justice.

The film opens with original footage of Chavez’s funeral. It continues with his organizing efforts in 1965 when he and his supporters stood on dirt roads encouraging fieldworkers to join their cause and the actions of those who opposed him and assaulted UFW supporters. The lump in my throat grew as I watched the human drama unfold and heard the speeches Chavez gave to his supporters while in the midst of difficulties. The scenes are poignant and stirring, not only for what is actually occurring on screen and what took place in real life, but because of the universal resonance of justice, integrity, and a man’s belief in “…one dream, one goal, one vision…”

In my interview with the director, Mr. Perez, it is evident that “Cesar’s Last Stand” is more than just a film. His mission is to utilize the documentary as a powerful tool to engage people and organizations to participate in social justice movements using Cesar Chavez’s inspiring story as a model for how individuals and communities can address the inequities they confront every day.

The website explains this further, “To carry out this social impact initiative, the filmmakers will partner with national civil, labor, human rights, and faith-based organizations. These partner groups will organize community-based screening. This strategy will ensure the film reaches a new generation of immigrant workers who may not know Chavez’s story and his impact on Latino civil and labor rights in the United States.”

All of the money raised from this campaign is for the completion of the production of Cesar’s Last Fast. This project will only be funded if at least $21,000 is pledged by November 24, 2011. The filmmakers will travel to California’s Central Valley to interview farm workers in the fields and in their homes and capture the conditions under which they work and live. The target date to complete the film is early Spring, 2012.

After that, a series of community-based screenings are scheduled to reach the audience who most needs to see this film: today’s generation of farmworkers, workers in other low-wage industries, and young people who came of age after the historic rise of the farmworker movement and Cesar Chavez’s passing.

Support levels range from $1 to $1,000. Recognition ranges from acknowledgement on Facebook to receipt of a special edition DVD all the way up to on-screen Associate Producer credits.
Taking part in a social justice campaign is only a click and a few dollars away.
Cesar Chavez, Cesar's Last Fast, Dr. Lorena Parlee, Farmworker Rights, Latinos in film, Richard Perez, UFW, Wisdom

Cesar’s Last Fast

Mona Alvarado Frazier
 “One man taking on Goliath like forces in a fight for social justice.”*
This article is a two part series:

A couple of weeks ago I chatted with a friend about the need for more films by Latino filmmakers that highlight Latino accomplishments. This was on the heels of the Katt Williams tirade and the frustration of reading about a movie (see my post)  which had Robert Duval playing a main character, Mr. Crawford,  based on real life pro golfer, Johnny Arreaga.  This had me thinking how the Latino community can get involved in pushing for more Latino films with Latino actors by Latino filmmakers and producers.

My friend mentioned filmmaker *Richard Ray Perez’s documentary, titled “Cesar’s Last Fast.” The film, structured around Chavez’s 1988 thirty-six day fast, calls attention to Cesar’s spiritual commitment, values, and humanity. There are eighty-five hours of never seen before footage about this fast, which includes Martin Sheen, Edward James Olmos, Ethel Kennedy, Jesse Jackson, and several other people close to César Chavez.


His political activism and leadership, grounded in non-violence, followed the teachings of Gandhi, Nehru and Martin Luther King. It was Chavez, who coined the phrase “Si, se puede.” His actions were a living example of a life dedicated to fighting for people who are among the poorest.

In my interview with Richard Perez, his passion for bringing Cesar’s spiritual commitment to light is evident. His goal is to illustrate how one person can better society through personal sacrifices. “César Chavez had the type of commitment few people have had in history. We hope to raise his profile, not as an ethnic labor leader, but as a spiritual leader. He was an incredibly unique man…his commitment has been largely overlooked.”  

How Mr. Perez came upon this project is amazing for the connections to his past and present.
“My fellow producer … likes to say that I was destined to make this film. My father was a migrant farm worker for 22 years…My aunts and uncles, his siblings were all farm workers, too. And when I was 4 years old, attending Head Start in…San Fernando … there were some (CSUN) Chicano students who volunteer(ed) at the Head Start… about 1969, 1970… I noticed one day that one of those Chicano volunteers was taking his grapes out of the fruit cocktail out of the lunch that we got, the sort of free government lunch.

I asked him, ‘Oh, why are you doing that?’ And he said, ‘Well, because, the people who pick the grapes are treated very poorly by their bosses. They get paid very little money. They often have to live in shacks. If they complain, they get fired. It’s just a very, very hard job, and their bosses treat them horribly.’

I remember looking down at my grapes in my fruit cocktail and realizing that all of a sudden they looked very, very ugly. So I started picking the grapes out of my fruit cocktail. And pretty soon the rest of the students sitting at that table all did the same, and for the rest of the year none of us ate the grapes in our fruit cocktails that were in our lunch.”

Twenty some years later, Mr. Perez made a proposal to the César Chavez Foundation to make a documentary. They couldn’t give exclusive agreement because a similar project was in the works by filmmaker Lorena Parlee, PhD., Chavez’s Press Secretary. Dr. Parlee was a Professor of Mexican and Chicano History at the University of California’s Santa Barbara, Irvine and San Diego campuses. She had exclusive rights but asked if Perez would like to collaborate, but he was working on another project and said he could it in six months. He didn’t hear from her and months later, he received a telephone call from Dr. Parlee’s family. She had died from breast cancer and left instructions to contact Mr. Perez and give him the private videotapes to finish the project.

Mr. Perez and fellow filmmaker Molly O’Brien reviewed the footage and decided to focus on how he inspired a generation of people to participate in the struggle for social justice. They are close to two thirds completed and need to raise money to continue filming and editing this documentary.

They have coordinated a Kickstarter Campaign, a crowd funding method of raising funds. The campaign will launch on September 25, 2011, with a 60-day run. The goal is to raise $20,000. Click on this link to see a one-minute trailer and go to www.cesarlastfast.com for more information. Like them on Facebook too. After all, it takes a community.