Thoughts on the Legacy of Cesar Chavez

I recently made my way down highway 101 from the Bay Area to San Diego. Agriculture lined the highway as I drove South. There are endless fields of fruit trees, vegetable plants, and grape vines. I recall reading a statistic during the 2016 Presidential election that California is responsible for nearly 15% of the United States’ total fruit and vegetable production. This statistic was reported because of talk that California wanted to secede from the United States and become its own country, and that it could sustain much of its GDP on agriculture. As I drove down highway 101, I noticed many workers in the fields, bare-backed and bent over the rows of produce. I thought about how much food I consume from these Californian farms, and how many of the workers in these fields have picked food for me. I don’t think enough people think about how we get food on our tables each day.

Having worked outside planting trees with Our City Forest for the past two years, I have learned that physical labor is extremely intense on the body. It is challenging to brave the elements all day long. It is even harder to repeat physical labor day after day, with very few breaks. Seeing the farm workers bent over picking produce hurts my own back; and they are doing this type of work day after day because society requires food, rain or shine.

Not only is agricultural work physically reprimanding, but these workers are also exposed to pesticides and herbicides. These contaminants are proven to be harmful to human health, and to even cause certain disabilities. The health effects do not only impact the workers in the fields, but also their families and entire communities. It is unfair that agricultural workers are expected to sacrifice their personal health and wellbeing purely to make a living. Oftentimes, these workers are paid below the minimum wage, making it even harder for them to support themselves and their families. Many of the farms get away with paying their employees less than the legal minimum wage because they hire immigrants without citizenship. This opens the door to unethical treatment of the workers, as the farm owners are not bound to U.S. law therefore do not need to treat their employees by law. Not only do the farm owner’s pay below minimum wage, they often pay their employees by the number of bushels of food they are able to pick during a day’s work. This means that employees are forced to hustle while on the job. Imagine adding running into a physically laborious job - seems awful, no?

Immigrants from Mexico working a Strawberry Farm near Guadalupe, CA (LA Times, 2017).

Since the agricultural business is extremely tough work and taxing on the body, it is not a popular field to choose to enter. Most field workers end up at these jobs out of desperation for any sort of employment. The low wages cause a trend of generations to remain working in the fields, in which the children end up at the same job as their parents just to be able to make ends meet. It is so unfortunate that the rights of these workers are undervalued and mismanaged. This is where Cesar Chavez’s story comes to light.

Cesar Chavez at UFW (NPR, 2016).

Cesar Chavez helped bring these issues to the forefront of human rights, and show the problems that are not addressed within the agricultural world. His parents had immigrated from Mexico, and ended up working at a farm in Yuma, Arizona where Chavez was born in 1927. Chavez was not an illegal immigrant himself, but was treated differently due to his family’s background. His background contributed to his fight for rights for farm workers, in which he brought to light the xenophobic maltreatment of immigrant workers. There are so many layers to Chavez’s union work - it wasn’t entirely about increasing wages, but about the inclusion of immigrants in the workforce. The United States has been and continues to be a xenophobic country, particularly towards Latin Americans. The majority of the policies surrounding immigration are indirectly targeted towards Latin Americans. These policies allow farmer owners to expose their employees to harsh and poor working conditions. Chavez pushed to repair the rough reality that farm workers face. His efforts in forming the United Farm Workers association paved the road as the first union to fight for the rights of agricultural employees. Chavez helped create UFW’s image - an Aztecan eagle and the phrase ‘Viva la causa’. Both symbolize the workers’ heritage, with the eagle signifying pride for Latin American culture and the phrase providing strength and power to the workers. The phrase is also in Spanish, connecting its significance to the racial undertones of the entire agricultural movement that Chavez started.

A UFW organized march in Oxnard, CA - Theresa Romero holds the UFW Flag bearing the Eagle symbol (KCRW, 2018).

As I drove down to Southern California the other day, I thought about the workers’ rights as I passed them on the highway. I’m not convinced that as a country we really offer our agricultural workers many rights, especially if they are immigrants. Yet I believe the workers would be worse off without the work of Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers. Chavez’s legacy is still relevant, and should be talked about more so that we can continue to fight for worker’s rights. I hope today you think about the food on your table and the people who worked to get it there. Most importantly, I hope you share this knowledge with someone. Knowledge is power, and educating others is prescient in developing change. We still have work to do in honoring Cesar Chavez’s legacy.

Emerald Ash Borers: a Lethal Beetle

The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is a minuscule metallic-green beetle threatening ash trees across the United States, first discovered here in Michigan circa 2002. It's theorized to have been introduced to the U.S. via wooden packing material used in transport from China. While the U.S. is said to have several billion ash trees, this beetle has already killed millions of trees in the state of Michigan alone. It has spread to most of the midwest and east coast, as well as into Canada. Adults only reach about ½ inch in length and ⅛ inch in width. Their larvae bore to the trees’ living tissue layer, feeding beneath the bark. This interrupts water and nutrient transport within the tree, leading to bark splitting and dead limbs. If the issue is not addressed early and proactively, the tree will die. Depending on tree size and health, as well as severity of the infestation, a tree will die 1 to 4 years after first contact with EAB.

A good place to start when it comes to understanding this topic is with the identification of ash trees. Knowing what an ash tree looks like is the first step toward knowing if it is a tree capable of having an EAB infestation. Ash trees belong in the genus Fraxinus, which is within the olive (Oleaceae) family. They exhibit an opposite branching pattern, and leaves are pinnately compound. Ash trees are also known for their characteristic bark, which is deeply grooved. Additionally, their fruits are samaras; a single seed with a papery wing.

The leaves of various Ash trees, displaying their pinnate compound structure.

Examples of Ash tree samaras.

You can do your part to save these species! Now that you know how to recognize an ash tree, let's discuss signs of EAB. More general symptoms include a reduction in crown density and suckers at the base of the tree; both of these are stress indicators (though not directly linked to EAB). More specifically, visible exit holes, tunneling under bark, splitting of bark, and a high level of woodpecker activity all indicate the presence of EAB in an ash tree. Woodpeckers have been found to consume a large portion of EAB larvae within a tree, doing so by flicking off strips of bark as they search below the surface. This creates a dramatic and distinct visual, a definitive sign to note (see photos below).

Be on the lookout for signs of EAB and report any infected trees you may come across. It is vital to address the issue as soon as possible, and to reduce the chances of spreading. Record the location and take photos. If a tree on your property is infested, also be aware that emerald ash borers can remain in firewood supply. Due to this, burn any firewood you have and do not bring it to an alternate location. You can call the USDA Emerald Ash Borer Hotline at 1-866-322-4512 to report an incident, and go to emeraldashborer.info for a map of EAB across the United States!

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Sources:

Arborday.org. 2020. Emerald Ash Borer - The Arbor Day Foundation. [online] Available at:
<https://www.arborday.org/trees/health/pests/emerald-ash-borer.cfm> [Accessed 22 December 2020].

Knight, K. and Rebbeck, J., 2014. Woodpeckers Capitalize On An Invasive Forest Pest – Research
Highlights - US Forest Service Research & Development. [online] Fs.fed.us. Available at:
<https://www.fs.fed.us/research/highlights/highlights_display.php?in_high_id=625> [Accessed 5 January 2021].

Matsoukis, C., 2021. Emerald Ash Borer. [online] Emeraldashborer.info. Available at:
<http://www.emeraldashborer.info> [Accessed 5 January 2021].

Richins Myers, V., 2020. 13 Types Of Ash Trees—And The Impact Of Emerald Ash Borer. [online] The Spruce. Available at: <https://www.thespruce.com/twelve-species-of-ash-trees-3269661>
[Accessed 5 January 2021].

America's African Colony: A History of Liberia

The first thing you will notice as you enter Liberia will be the vast, dark green rainforest that covers most of the country. Liberia hosts the rainiest capital city in the world. Monrovia and the surrounding area receive 5 to 6 meters of rain annually. It is a land of dense foliage and is home to 16 distinct indigenous tribes of people who call it home. Animals such as the endemic pygmy hippo, forest elephant, African civet, chimpanzee, and pangolin also reside there. Liberia is roughly the size of the state of Tennessee with a population of about 4 million people. It is a modest country but is rich in natural resources and vibrant culture.

Liberia is one of the 16 countries considered to be located in West Africa (Map of Liberia -Britannica)

I had the immense pleasure of living and working in Liberia as a teacher for three years. The culture is warm and inviting. The country shares close ties to American history. Most people in America can hardly identify the small West African country on a map, let alone describe its shared past with America who founded the country in the 19th century. The founding of Liberia in the early 1800s was motivated by the domestic politics of slavery and race. It is distinctly tied to the history of America and of the Atlantic Slave Trade which dominated American economics of the 18th century.

In 1816 the American Colonization Society (ACS) was founded. Members had various reasons for supporting this organization from racists who saw a growing number of freed slaves as threats to American democracy to abolitionists who wanted to give back sovereignty to the disenfranchised blacks of America. Mid-Atlantic states like Maryland and Virginia were large supporters of the movement. President Monroe helped arrange public funding to secure land on the coast of West Africa to create a new nation of freed slaves. By 1820, freed blacks sailed to the area which is now Sierra Leone to secure land for a new Republic, using the U.S. Constitution as a blueprint for their own government.

West Africa however, is not just a place of pygmy hippos and civets but hosts many parasites, diseases, and viruses that killed most of the settlers. Malaria, a parasitic infection that continues to kill hundreds of thousands each year to this day, was one of the biggest killers for settlers. By 1824, the settlers negotiated for a piece of land and named it Monrovia in honor of the president who continued to assist the ACS with funding and naval support. By 1838, Monrovia had been fortified because local tribes protested the community. Within the next decade, Liberia declared itself independent from America and was the first Republic established in the continent of Africa. By 1848, Liberia’s sovereignty was recognized by many other countries.

The U.S. stopped supporting its colony by the 1860s. A mass exodus of blacks from America never happened as funding declined and, over the decades, public opinion shifted. However, over the next few years over 18,000 blacks sailed to Liberia. The settlers carried with them their American culture and did not integrate with the local cultures of West Africa. They utilized their education and access to economic trade with America, Britain, and France to exploit and dominate local tribes in Liberia. These people are now called Americano-Liberians and they embodied many of the negative aspects of Western culture which had initially led to the Atlantic Slave Trade. This created immense tensions with local cultures who were also experiencing general colonization and fragmentation of land by the U.S. and Western Europe on the continent. These issues continued to be ignored for decades.

The 16 Tribes of Liberia.

Liberia established itself as a prominent ally to America and the West over the next few decades and supported the Allied powers in the World Wars. It secured international investments and developed its trade and infrastructure into the 20th century. Profits were sequestered with the Americano-Liberians in the capital and further divided the local populations from the privileged few. In 1980 these divides and political tensions came to a head, resulting in a military coup that toppled the democratic leadership of Liberia. President Tolbert and his cabinet were removed by Samuel Doe, a general at the time in the army, and his forces. Doe represented the repressed indigenous population that had been subservient to the privilege of Monrovia for decades. Doe took power for himself and remained dictator for almost 10 years. America was hesitant to intervene as Liberia represented a stronghold against communist ideologies in the 1980s. America tried to help restabilize the country under Doe’s rule and advised elections to reestablish democratic rule for many years. Elections proved unsuccessful as Doe held power, which led to the First and Second Civil Wars of Liberia in the 1990s. Various tribes and factions fought for power throughout the country. Doe was killed by one of these faction leaders.

Former President Samuel K. Doe, holding a walkie-talkie, after the 1980 coup that toppled President William Tolbert Jr.

War enveloped the country. Between Doe’s coup in 1980 to the end of the Second Civil War in 2003 over 250,000 people were killed. Child soldiers, drug use, and civilian death plagued the country. The main power plant, Mt. Coffee, as well as all roads were destroyed. Over 1 million people fled to Sierra Leone, Guinea, or Cote D'ivoire for safety. The conflict ended with the United Nations (UN) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) intervening to negotiate peace. Liberia emerged tattered and broken.

The peace agreement led to democratic elections in 2005. Women were instrumental in the cease-fire of the civil wars. They rallied together and helped stop the violence. Because of the involvement of women and their activism, Liberia elected the first female head of state in Africa, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. She had experience working in finance under the Tolbert Administration and had fled during the war. During her time abroad, she gained experience with the World Bank and continued her education in America at Harvard University. She got straight to work to reconstruct Liberia from the ground up. Reconstruction was slow, but Sirleaf managed to increase foreign investment, reopen the port, and sustain peace during her two terms.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in 2016.

“The size of your dreams must always exceed your current capacity to achieve them. If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.”

— Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Tragedy struck Liberia again in the form of a viral epidemic. In 2014, Ebola swept through West Africa, killing over 15,000 Liberians. This drastically reduced foreign investment, and highlighted the shortcomings of the fragile economic stability that had been built since the end of the Civil War. The healthcare system of Liberia buckled and could not manage the outbreak. Liberia and other West African nations relied on other countries for support to tackle the epidemic. By the following year, the region quelled the outbreak, but the disease scared off investors, and development efforts slowed dramatically in the following years.

Liberia continues its struggle to develop and improve life for its citizens. There is only one paved road in Liberia that connects 6 of the 15 counties. The reconstruction of the Mt. Coffee powerplant has been undergoing development for many years. The value of the Liberian Dollar is unstable, and often falls without warning. Trade with neighboring countries is difficult, but slowly expanding. Despite these challenges, the Liberian people remain resilient. The culture’s warmth has endured extreme hardships. The people are welcoming and the youth are passionate and optimistic about the future. Many challenges are still ahead for the small West African country, but the embedded patience and perseverance of the Liberian people will steadily advance them forward.

My time in Liberia was full of expanding moments. I saw a culture that was warm, accepting, helpful, and passionate about building Liberia back up. The youth are hopeful and curious, and as internet connectivity increases throughout Liberia, they get to participate in the world conversation online on social media and learn from e-books. Life is difficult in Liberia, but it continues nonetheless. Rubber and cacao continue to be exported, iron is mined in the Northern mountains, trade continues out of the maritime ports and with neighboring Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Cote D'ivoire. The relationship with the world community and regional partners has blossomed as efforts from ECOWAS and the UN have stabilized the region. Liberia sits at a precipice, ready to spring up from the troubles of its past to embrace its developing character.

Monrovia, Liberia.

Liberia continues to share close ties to America. Many people who fled during the war still have family in the States, and the two countries share a cultural bond through our history. Liberia was the continent’s first modern-day Republic and has shown its strength with the first peaceful transition of power in over 74 years. In 2018, President Sirleaf ended her two terms under the Liberian Constitution, and President Weah was voted in. During my time in Liberia, I have heard the country referenced as ‘America’s step-child’. The way the U.S. has silently neglected its African colony reflects the hidden aspects of racism buried deep within our culture. Most U.S. citizens cannot label a map of African nations, let alone learn of the shared past between Liberia and the U.S.A. It is a shame because many Liberians share a reverence for America. We share similar values, culture, and interact more and more in virtual spaces. Fostering the continued friendship between the two nations is beneficial, but it will take some advocacy on behalf of Americans to share the story of our shared pasts and educate others about the interconnectedness of all of us as citizens of the world.

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Sources:

U.S. Department of State, Founding of Liberia, 1847. history.state.gov/milestones/1830-1860/liberia#:~:text=In%201816%2C%20a%20group%20of,the%20world%20at%20that%20time.

Wing Shick, Tom. “A Quantitative Analysis of Liberian Colonization from 1820 - 1843 with Special Reference to Mortality.” University of Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin, 1970, pp. 1–39.