Abstract
“If any of these essays prompt-or provoke-you to think about the importance of social justice in our society and its absence in your own life experience, so much the better! Very nice to make your acquaintance” (p. ix). With these words, LeRoy Chatfield captures the essence of To Serve the People: My Life Organizing with Cesar Chavez and the Poor and warmly welcomes the reader into a very candid snapshot of his life as an advocate and organizer. The title is somewhat misleading as Chatfield spent ten years working directly with Chavez, while his extraordinary work and commitment to social justice spans over six decades. This is not to minimize the rich and unique perspective Chatfield’s narratives bring to the work of the United Farm Workers (UFW) as Chavez’s trusted friend and advisor during this period.
This book is more than a journal or chronological recitation of stories. Instead, this collection of “easy essays” (p. ix) documents the daily realities and personal struggles that occur in social movements. Other voices join Chatfield’s throughout, including those of his collaborator, Jorge Marsical, and his beloved wife Bonnie.
The book is divided into sections that begin by guiding the reader through Chatfield’s early commitment to service and justice as a Christian Brother and his decision to leave the order in 1963 to join Chavez and the UFW just prior to the Delano grape strike. Chatfield’s poignant tribute to Helen Chavez will be of particular interest to those interested in the role of women in the UFW movement. Middle sections of the book describe Chatfield’s departure from the UFW ten years later to immerse himself in political life following the successful defeat of California’s Proposition 22. During this time, he served under Governor Jerry Brown on the Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB) and was later named Director of the California Conservation Corps. The final portion of the book chronicles the Chatfields’ work together as advocates for the homeless and founders of Sacramento’s Loaves and Fishes, as well as his recent focus, on the Farmworker Movement Documentation Project at the University of California San Diego. It is through the mission of Loaves and Fishes that we once again see Chatfield’s respect and appreciation for all humans: “Loaves and Fishes serves guests, not clients . . . guests are made to feel welcome . . . accepted as friends . . . treated as equals” (p. 198).
A recurring theme in the essays is to caution the reader that authentic organizing and activism is, as stated on the reverse side of Chavez’s business card, a commitment for “an awful long time” (p. 7). He maintains that the work of a movement itself finds no closure in a singular success. Chatfield also emphasizes the importance of an identified leader to the success of a movement, as well as that leader’s unwavering commitment to the movement over individual relationships. The issue is personal for Chatfield and he acknowledges the “sense of loss” he felt when he left Chavez and the UFW: . . . I would have to give up my ten-year friendship with Cesar Chavez. Because of his all-consuming commitment to the cause of the farmworkers, he would no longer be a close friend. I knew it, I understood it, and I accepted the consequences of my decision. (p. 168)
Just prior to his departure, Chavez explained to him that he would need to shoulder the blame if Proposition 202 passed. As Chatfield remembers, “I was totally silenced by the harsh reality of what he said. . .my closest friend of almost nine years now, had just explained the political facts of life to me” (p. 166).
With its personal stories and historical perspective, To Serve the People is an important contribution to labor literature that will resonate with general readers, labor historians, scholars, and a new generation of students interested in organizing.