Hispanic Culture

The Reuther Library is the largest labor archives in North America and is home to the collections of numerous unions and labor-related organizations. Its collection strengths extend to the political and community life of urban and metropolitan Detroit, the civil rights movement in Michigan and nationally, and women's struggles in the workplace.

Founded in 1962 by Cesar Chavez, the United Farm Workers of America is the nation’s first successful and largest farm workers union currently active in 10 states.

The Farmworker Movement Documentation Project, founded in 2003 by LeRoy Chatfield, is a labor of love. The project seeks to compile and publish primary source accounts from the volunteers who worked with Cesar Chavez to build his farmworker movement during the period, 1962-1993.

Here we explore the history and geography of the UFW, including (1) a timeline of more than 1,000 farm worker strikes, boycotts, and other actions, some involving independent farm worker unions; (2) a set of interactive maps that dynamically show the locations of those events; and (3) an essay that highlights key actions and details the changing geography of the UFW.