Sent 05/22/2026 These days, grapes in the grocery store don’t seem that controversial. But 50 years ago, a historic workers’ strike in the vineyards of California’s Central Valley set in motion the most significant campaign in modern labor history: the Farmworker Movement. The United Farm Workers and Cesar Chavez are widely known: They first came to prominence as the face of a strike of grape pickers in the 1960s that prompted an international boycott of table grapes. But there’s a part of that movement’s history that’s rarely told — and it traces back to Delano, Calif., a pretty typical hot, dry farm community. In this town’s unassuming corners, the true story of the Delano Grape Strike unfolded. There’s a white stucco building on the edge of town where Chavez held his first hunger strike, and a high school auditorium where then-Sen. Bobby Kennedy spoke in support of the farmworkers. Long-time resident Roger Gadiano leads college students and others on tours of these places and to Filipino Hall. It’s a community center, but to Gadiano, “this is a shrine. I guess it’s our Selma. This is it!” he says. Because it was here that, on the night of Sept. 7, 1965, farmworkers — almost all Filipino — voted to go on strike the next day. “We’re a part of a big history, which is bold. We took a step that no one would take,” he says. The hall served as the hub of activity for the first years of the Farmworker Movement. Gadiano drives to the cemetery, and gets out near the simple gravesite of the father of the Delano Grape Strike, Larry Itliong. Roger Gadiano (left) and Alex Edillor hold a photo of grape strike leader Larry Itliong, whom they respectfully refer to as “The Man.” Itliong convinced Filipino grape worker to go on strike in 1965, a step that set in motion the Farmworker Movement. Henry A. Barrios/Courtesy of FERN “He, gave our people some dignity. He gave his guts,” Gadiano says. During Philippine Weekend, a cultural celebration and kind of family reunion, a group of young women say they never learned about the farmworker movement in school. Anhelica Perez says her Latina grandmother and other relatives actually participated in the strike and ensuing boycott. “So it was active family history, but it was not taught — or talked about — at all,” she says. Even though she’s in her late 20s, Melanie Retuda says she learned about the Filipino origins of the strike only last year. “I’d known of Cesar Chavez and Hispanics being involved,” she says. “Being Filipino, it’s like, ‘Wow.’ Filipinos actually made an impact in the process. It makes me proud that they were involved.” continue reading BOARD MEET & GREET The Newcastle Ecumenical Food Pantry has been serving the Midcoast area since 1989- primarily the towns of Newcastle, Damariscotta and Nobleboro, but they do not turn anyone away. The Ecumenical Food pantry was founded in 1989 by Ruth Ives and Gail Berry. Today it is the cooperative effort of 8 area churches and completely volunteer run, with the goal of addressing food insecurity locally. They are open every Tuesday from 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM for market-style shopping. A CONCERT SUPPORTING COME SPRING FOOD PANTRY SUPPORT SCHOOL GARDENS IN MAINE The Maine School Garden Network announces that Edgecomb Elementary School was honored as the School Garden of the Year 2027 at the Calendar Preview Party! In addition to being selected as one of the school gardens in the calendar, the School Garden of the Year also receives the cover image on the calendar. The 2027 School Garden of the Month Calendar is available for purchase now at MSGN.org.Sign up for The Rising Times newsletter and get this great information straight in your email!
May 22, 2026
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GRAPES OF WRATH: THE FORGOTTEN FILIPINOS WHO LED A FARMWORKER REVOLUTION
By Lisa Morehouse, NPR’S Food For Thought, Heard on Weekend Edition Saturday, September 19, 2015. Original.
Filipino farmworkers, including Larry Itliong (left), were the first to walk out of vineyards, prompting the Delano Grape Strike. They would join forces with Mexican laborers led by Cesar Chavez to form the United Farm Workers. Farmworker Movement Documentation Project/University of California San Diego Library
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