Farmworkers Day brings attention to Filipino labor leader who began Delano grape strike

By Ryan Yamamoto

In 1965, 800 Filipino farmworkers started the now-famous Delano grape strike under the leadership of Larry Itliong, but Itliong knew he needed to join forces with Mexican laborers, so he recruited the help of Cesar Chavez.

Together, they founded the United Farmworkers Union.

But as the labor movement grew, it was Chavez and not Itliong who became the face of workers’ rights, and that is something that has never sat well with the Itliong family.

“Filipinos have always been marginalized, and then we even get marginalized in our marginalized groups,” said Johnny Itliong, Larry’s son. “The UFW has marginalized us, the Chavez history has marginalized us. And no longer, no longer.”

As allegations of sexual abuse emerged about Chavez this month, Johnny Itliong said he was saddened but not surprised.

“I want to acknowledge that I stand with these people. I know some of those people, and it is horrible, but we need to make sure the history is told correctly,” he said.

Part of that correction involves disassociating the Chavez name with the labor movement. What was once known as “Cesar Chavez Day” on March 31 will now be known as “Farmworkers Day”. There is also an effort to change streets, schools and parks that bear Chavez’s name.

“I think they should take everything that was Chavez and change it back to what it originally was,” said Itliong. “Go back to what the spirit was.”

Some in the Filipino community see this moment as a potential opportunity to give Larry Itliong the credit he deserves. But Johnny Itliong says he wants to make sure people understand the labor movement was never one man, but a collective group.

He also believes his father would never have sought the attention but says he is OK if others want to shine a light on his name.

“I think it is cool. But that’s not my goal. But if it makes my community proud to be Filipino and associate my father’s name with other people’s names that were part of that movement, then yeah, definitely,” Itliong said.

Currently, one middle school in Union City is named after Itliong and another Filipino labor leader, Philip Vera Cruz, and a park in the town of Delano is also named after Itliong.