How Did Cesar Chavez Influence The Civil Rights Movement

Chavez also focused on the principals and the ideas of other nonviolent philosophers. Cesar Chavez began reading about other nonviolent changes that impacted the world such as the civil rights movement and African Americans suffering from segregation. Researching about other nonviolent changes inspired Chavez to accomplish a social change. As stated in many books Chavez admired Gandhi because of the nonviolent ideas he incorporated in order to defeat the British Empire. Although Chavez did not have the opportunity to meet Gandhi in person he decided to incorporate some of his Gandhian Principals especially the idea of fasting. In Gandhi Chavez found a role model, a leader who inspired him to help the poor defeat the powerful. Through Studying

By searching about nonviolent principles Chavez started to show his community that in order to make a change one had to love the opponent and never respond with acts of violence because it lead only to loosing against the opponent. Chavez also told his people in the Mexico Independence of 1965, “We are engaged in another struggle for the freedom and dignity which poverty denies us. But it must be a nonviolent struggle even if violence is used against us. Violence can only hurt us and our cause.” (Chavez qtd. in Cortright 77). This demonstrating that acts of violence lead to not obtaining the goals. Moreover one of the acts that Chavez most admired about Gandhi was the act of fasting during strikes. According to the book “Gandhi and Beyond” Chavez acquired similar goals from Gandhi. For example when Gandhi fasted he had the belief that fasting helped him purified himself and gain spiritual powers as well as increasing the hearts and minds of his followers (Cortright 91). Similarly Chavez had similar goals. Chavez viewed fasting as a way to also acquire his spiritual powers which lead him to achieve his objectives. Chavez participated in many strikes fasting. Some for instance to support justice for lettuce