A tribute to Cesar Chavez, spiritual leader

By Sudarshan Kapoor

Special to The Collegian

Cesar Chavez was a heroic figure of our times. He was a folk legend among Mexican Americans.

To them, he was their Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was a phenomenal charismatic leader and very effective union organizer who fought oppression and injustice as experienced by farm workers in an affluent society with nonviolent means.

He was a man with near “mystic vision.” He possessed “Messianic” quality which reflected in his voice with mesmerizing effect on people.

He was a short man with “soothing, spiritual presence.” He wielded a “spiritual authority” among Mexican Americans. He was a healer and led a very simple nonviolent way of life.

Chavez was a man of intense faith and religious conviction. He had an unshakeable faith in God, truth and nonviolence.

He once said, “Truth is nonviolence. So everything really comes from truth. Truth is the ultimate. Truth is God. Truth is on our side, even more than justice, because truth cannot be changed. It has a way of manifesting itself. It has to come out, so sooner or later we’ll win.”

So he was a spiritual being. A powerful soul, more than a union organizer whose reputation was not just confined to the United States.

He was known internationally for his struggle and the civil rights work he did to achieve dignity, respect and social justice for farm workers.

Chavez also was known as prophet of nonviolence. To him nonviolence was the way of God as nonviolence is spiritual.

Sudarshan Kapoor is a professor in the Department of Social Work Education.

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