Delano March: 60 years later, the fight for farmworkers’ rights continues
By Maricela De La Cruz
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KCRA) — This week marks 60 years since the Delano march, a significant event in the Civil Rights movement that aimed to bring national attention to the exploitation of farmworkers during the Delano grape strike.
On March 17, 1966, a small group of farmworkers set out from Delano, California, beginning a 280-mile march to Sacramento, led by César Chávez. The march aimed to expose the harsh conditions farmworkers faced and demand fair wages, union recognition, and dignity in the fields.
The march quickly grew from 75 participants into one of the most significant labor demonstrations in American history.
The Delano march was intentionally framed as a religious pilgrimage, ending on Easter Sunday at the State Capitol. It garnered much community support after stopping in towns for masses and rallies.
“It was a moment in history that those who were here would never forget,” said Marc Grossman, who worked with César Chávez and has been with the United Farm Workers (UFW) for 57 years.
Farmworkers were fighting for basic protections already guaranteed to other American workers.
César Chávez explained, “We have strong feelings that the reason farm workers have been excluded from most major legislation. First of all, you have to understand that when we speak of farmworkers, you’re speaking essentially of a minority group of people.”
The march captured national attention, shining a spotlight on the struggles of farmworkers across California.
“It placed the American farmworkers’ plight and their cause squarely before the conscience of the American people for the first time,” Grossman said.
After 25 days on the road, the march reached Sacramento, with thousands of farmworkers crossing the Tower Bridge and bringing their fight for labor rights directly to the steps of the State Capitol.
Sacramento resident Rudy O. Cuellar, who watched the marchers arrive at California’s State Capitol, said, “To see all these people there, the charros came in, the farm workers came in.” He described the event as “A beautiful awakening.”
Cuellar recalled that many laborers were forced to work long hours in punishing conditions. That included using a short hoe, which required them to work while hunched over all day.
“They were fighting over using the short hoe, the growers wanted them to use the short hoe, and can you imagine all day working over hunchback,” Cuellar recalled.
Tagging along with his father, Cuellar described the scene in Downtown Sacramento as “festive and powerful.”
“Everyone was just like waiting for something like this to happen, and it was surprising to everyone, I think. Just to see that many people coming in on the bridge and proud, very proud,” Cuellar said.
By the end of the march, farmworkers had secured a historic breakthrough.
Grossman noted, “One of the growers that was struck – Schneidman Industries – agreed to negotiate with the farmworkers’ union and did negotiate the first genuine contract in American history.”
For many who witnessed it, the march became a defining moment.
“I’m proud to have been there,” Cuellar said. “I’m proud to have seen a supporter. Glad that my dad had taken me.”
Six decades later, the message of that march still echoes today as farmworkers continue to push for fair pay, dignity, and protections in the fields.
“You’ve got to take a stand,” Grossman said. “Freedom isn’t free. Each generation needs to discover it anew.”
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