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In her words: Dolores Huerta on immigration and agriculture
Topics: local history, agriculture, immigration, Dolores Huerta, Cesar Chavez, United Farmworkers
Posted by admin Tue Nov 30, 1999 00:00:00 PST
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Immigration and agriculture are two keystones for defining Kern County’s heritage and personality.

The farmworkers are a very big component of Kern County. They are the people who create the wealth. We have the largest grape grower in the world, Giumarra. We’ve got the biggest carrot company in the world, Grimmway. Agriculture is a very important part of our county.

But although Kern County has made a lot of progress in the 40 years since I moved here, it still has a very backward type of identity.

Back in the 1940s when “The Grapes of Wrath” was written, they had a book burning in Bakersfield. They banned it.

Cesar Chavez and I were organizing in Kern County and co-founded the United Farmworkers union in the 1960s. Farmworkers were killed during the grape strike of 1973. In the movie “Bobby,” there is a scene where Sen. Bobby Kennedy tells the Kern County Sheriff to go read the constitution of the United States because they were arresting people during the strike without reasonable cause.

Wages are still low. Companies are still fighting unionization. Our community does not do anything to recognize Cesar Chavez Day. The city of Bakersfield should celebrate Fourth of July, Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday and Cesar Chavez Day with a parade or other celebration because they are significant parts of American history. Other cities across the nation celebrate all three holidays.

Culturally, Latino immigrants have brought strong work ethics and family values to Kern County. Although there is still racism and anti-immigrationism, the Latino community is less segregated than it once was. Young families are moving into new neighborhoods and integrating with the rest of the community.

The presence of Latinos in Kern County has definitely grown, economically and culturally. When I first came here, there was one Spanish speaking station. Now there are many on the radio and on TV.

We do not do enough to welcome and honor our farmworkers. They are essential to the harvest.

But like I said, there has been some progress. Recently we mobilized the community to influence the Bakersfield City Council to vote down an anti-immigration resolution. And in 2002, as California celebrated “The Grapes of Wrath” author John Steinbeck’s 100th birthday, I asked the Kern County Board of Supervisors to pass a resolution to honor Steinbeck, the Dust Bowl immigrants, and all farmworkers. By passing it, they erased the book burning history from Kern’s past.

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