Jessie Lopez De La Cruz facts for kids

Jessie Lopez De La Cruz (1919 – September 2, 2013) was an amazing Chicana American farm worker who fought for fairness and rights. She was the first woman to recruit members for the UFW, a group that helped farm workers. Jessie was also a community leader, a working mom, and even went to a big political meeting called the Democratic National Convention in 1972.

She managed the first UFW Hiring Hall, advised the California Commission on the Status of Women, and worked to break up large land monopolies in California. Jessie Lopez De La Cruz is also famous for helping to ban the short-handled hoe, a tool that caused serious back injuries. She also taught other farm workers and supported co-op farming, always fighting for justice for poor working people.

Early Life and Hard Work

Growing Up as a Farm Worker

Jessie Lopez was born in Anaheim, California, in 1919. She was the oldest of three sisters and lived with a large extended family. Her mother, Guadalupe Lopez, was from Mexico. Jessie started working in the fields of Southern California when she was just 5 years old. She helped prune vines and pick oranges, peas, cotton, and grapes.

Her family was very poor and often moved around as migrant workers, following the crops. This meant they traveled a lot for work. Jessie remembered attending 45 different schools as her family moved from place to place. She was the best English speaker in her family and often helped her younger sisters with their schoolwork.

Facing Tough Times

Life was very hard for Jessie and her family. In 1929, when she was about 10, her aunt died in a tragic accident. Soon after, her mother became very sick and passed away in 1930. Her grandfather, who tried to support them, also died that same year. During the Great Depression, Jessie's family became migrant workers again, sometimes sleeping in a tent by the road.

In 1932, Jessie had her first experience with a labor dispute. Her family was picking peas for very low pay. Workers went on strike, and a man from the Mexican Consulate came to help. Jessie, being bilingual, helped translate for him. She felt useful and remembered this as her first step into fighting for workers' rights.

Moving to the San Joaquin Valley

After losing their home, Jessie's family moved to the San Gabriel Valley, following the crops. They joined other farm workers in a strike instead of working as "scabs" (people who work during a strike). Later, they settled in the San Joaquin Valley, where there was always work.

Life was still tough. They were so poor they sometimes ate wild plants and drank unsafe water. Jessie even got typhoid fever from contaminated water. For years, her family continued to do back-breaking work, like picking onions with a short-handled hoe, which caused a lot of pain.

Family Life and Growing Awareness

Starting a Family

Jessie met Arnulfo (Arnold) De La Cruz in 1933 in a labor camp. They got married in 1938. There was no honeymoon; Arnold went back to work the next day, and Jessie moved in with his family to help with their ten children.

Jessie and Arnold followed the crops for seven years before settling down in Huron, California. They had six children together. Jessie also took care of her niece after her sister passed away.

Working and Seeing Injustice

From 1939 to 1956, Jessie and her family worked for a cotton company. Jessie also worked in a lunch truck, serving food to farm workers. She raised her children and worked in the fields alongside her husband and kids.

During this time, Jessie became very aware of the unfairness farm workers faced. She saw Mexican Americans working in extreme heat. She noticed foremen stealing workers' taxes and company stores charging very high prices. She also saw that farm workers' children had little chance to go to college and that different racial groups were paid unfairly. These experiences made her determined to fight for change.

Becoming an Activist with the UFW

Joining the Fight for Rights

In 1965, Jessie's husband, Arnold, became involved with Cesar Chavez and the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), which later became the UFW. Meetings were held at their home. At first, Jessie just served food, but Cesar Chavez encouraged her to join, saying women needed to be involved because they worked in the fields too.

Soon after, Jessie became a recruiter for the union. She went into fields and signed up farm workers in many towns. She was incredibly successful, signing up more union members than any other organizer between 1965 and 1972.

When the NFWA became the UFW, Jessie and other members continued to fight for the rights and dignity of poor immigrant and Chicana/o workers. They also talked about how pesticides harmed workers' health, the need for fair hiring, and other important issues.

Running the Hiring Hall and Helping the Community

In 1968, Jessie Lopez De La Cruz ran the first UFW hiring hall, which was built next to her home. She collected union dues, printed announcements for rallies, and gave out groceries donated by churches and other groups.

Jessie also helped farm workers by translating for them, taking them to doctors, writing letters, and filling out paperwork. She testified at hearings about farm labor, pushed for food stamps for farm workers, and supported bilingual education. She was appointed to important community and state organizations, including California's Commission on the Status of Women. She even taught English on a local TV show for a short time.

In 1971, Jessie helped Dolores Huerta, another UFW leader, negotiate a contract with a wine company. Because Jessie was a farm worker herself, she knew exactly how much work was fair for the pay.

A Woman Leader in the Union

Being a woman organizer was challenging. Jessie remembered that many older people were used to men being in charge. But she pushed for changes to include women more. For example, she suggested adding women to an all-male ranch committee and helped end a ban on women pruning, which opened up higher-paying jobs for women.

Jessie was known for her quick wit and humor. She often used humor to make a point and stand up for justice. Her passion and effectiveness made her a respected leader.

Going to the Democratic National Convention

In 1972, Jessie Lopez De La Cruz went to Miami as a delegate for the Democratic National Convention. She had helped many Chicano voters register in California. At the convention, she and Dolores Huerta faced people who mocked the UFW. Jessie remembered being called a "radical" and a "troublemaker" by a news reporter, but she continued to fight for her beliefs.

Cooperative Farming and Land Rights

Starting Her Own Farm

After the convention, Jessie and her husband were inspired to start their own farm. In 1973, they began farming with five other families, leasing 6 acres of land. They were the first to grow, sell, and nationally distribute cherry tomatoes under the name Rancho El Bracero. They earned enough money to buy their own land.

In 1974, Jessie's family and three other families bought 40 acres near Raisin City, California, and started a cooperative farm. They sold cherry tomatoes and other produce. They tried to buy more land with water access from a rich farmer, but he refused to sell it for a fair price.

Fighting for Fair Land Use

Jessie and her family were part of an organization called National Land for People. This group wanted to break up huge farms into smaller family farms. They believed that when land was controlled by only a few, freedom suffered. They argued that large growers got cheap water from the government, while small farms struggled.

National Land for People pushed for fair water laws and pesticide-free farming. They wanted the government to enforce the Reclamation Act of 1902, which said farmers shouldn't get more than 160 acres of federally subsidized water. Jessie spoke to the U.S. Senate in 1974, sharing her life story and asking them to listen to the needs of poor farm workers.

Later Life and Legacy

Continuing Her Education and Activism

In 1977, Jessie went back to school at Universidad Libre de Campesinos (Farmworkers Free University) to study typing, psychology, sociology, and history. She continued her activism, speaking at colleges, community meetings, and government hearings about food, farming, land rights, and farm workers' struggles.

The League of Mexican American Women recognized her in 1977 for her "outstanding contribution to the farm labor movement."

Banning the Short-Handled Hoe

In 1985, Jessie was asked to speak to government officials about her experiences using the short-handled hoe. She explained how it caused severe, lifelong back injuries for her and other farm workers. She famously asked officials to walk around for a day holding the tips of their shoes to understand the pain. Soon after, California lawmakers outlawed the hoe.

Retirement and Continued Help

Jessie retired from the UFW in 1993, just two months before Cesar Chavez passed away. She received a certificate and an engraved bible for her dedication. Even after retirement, she continued to help people. She served on the board of California Rural Legal Assistance, helping farm workers and the rural poor defend their rights. She also volunteered at Catholic Charities, sorting and distributing clothing and food.

In 1998, Jessie was featured in a TV mini-series called A Will of Their Own, which told stories of female labor workers. She advised the actress who played her. In the 2000s, she continued to inspire new activists. In 2000, a book about her life, Jessie De La Cruz: A Profile of a United Farm Worker, was written by poet Gary Soto.

Death

Jessie Lopez De La Cruz passed away on September 2, 2013, at the age of 93. Her funeral was attended by hundreds of people, including many UFW members like Dolores Huerta. Huerta remembered Jessie as a "courageous woman" with "so much dignity" who inspired everyone. Arturo Rodriguez, the UFW president, called her "one of the best organizers the UFW ever had." Her grandson remembered her dedication to "fighting injustice." Jessie's coffin was covered with a giant UFW flag, and she was laid to rest in Fresno, California.