The son of a Filipino American who stood side by side with Cesar Chavez during the early stages of the farm worker’s movement is keeping his father’s legacy alive. (photo of Filipino American mural in Philadelphia)
Johnny 
Itliong spoke at Cal State Fullerton about his father Larry during a presentation sponsored by the Asian American and Chicano and Chicana Studies Departments, reports the Daily Titan.
“He was the senior to Cesar Chavez. He had 30 years of experience of labor organizing,” Itliong said of his father. “The clarification needs to happen in order for things to really change and really bring both (Filipino and Latino) communities together and move forward.”
The United Farm Workers formed after Itliong’s Agricultural Workers Organizers Committee (AWOC) and Chavez’ National Farm Workers Organization (NFW) merged with Itliong serving as Vice President and Chavez President.
“Probably one of the greatest things that my father did during this time was to cross the racial barrier … it wasn’t just Filipinos … he was fighting for the rights of the forgotten people and that was the farm workers or the agricultural workers.”
You can read more about Itliong’s struggles and the successful farm labor strike he organized in the Daily Titan.
