Sam Cicconetti
Dr. Moore
REL 103
3 December 2014
The Work of Cesar Chavez Cesar Chavez was a man of great spirit who put others before him to endow those around him with the respect and compassion they deserved. He was very influential and supported Catholic Social Teaching principles in many ways, mostly with his widely known efforts put forth towards the Catholic Worker Movement. He positively affected the world and performed good deeds to ensure all beings were treated with the utmost respect they deserve. Cesar exemplified true stewardship by practicing many of the key principles of Catholic Social Teaching, especially Human Dignity, Rights and Responsibilities, and the Dignity of Work and Rights of Workers. Cesar Chavez displayed his concern for human dignity because he knew that his movement was not just another labor movement, it was a struggle to achieve the God-given human dignity of farm workers. Growing up on a farm, he realized that farm workers were treated as the lowliest group of all workers and knew something had to be done. Due to his religious beliefs, he saw all humans as children of God, made in His image and likeness, therefore he took the step to ensure that all humans were granted the rights and freedom they deserve. He stated that humans are not just numbers, and the world needs to realize that. Chavez said, “We need work that improves the quality of life, for this type of work is the cornerstone of human dignity”. Cesar also makes his claim about the value of human dignity when stating, “human life is a very special possession given by God to men and that no one has the right to take it for any reason or cause”. Cesar demonstrated dignity of work and the rights of workers in several cases, a few include his assertion that work is a sacred thing, as are wages. Every individual is endowed with dignity and the work that this individual does merits just wages. Farmworkers are human beings who sweat and sacrifice to bring food to the tables of millions of people in the world; they are important because God made them, gave them life, and cares for them in life and death. Mr. Chavez proclaimed that we need to give workers a voice and to let them be creative at their work place because not only will it enrich