If You Join This #UpChat About Cesar Chavez, You'll Do The World A Solid
Para leer en español, por favor haga clic aquí.Note: This #UpChat has concluded, but don't worry! You can check out our recap of the discussion below and here.I’ve been a longtime fan of Cesar Chavez — both his work and the man himself. We're having this little thing called an #UpChat on Thursday, March 27, 2014, at 4 p.m. Eastern so you can find out more about him, tweet some things you may already appreciate about his work, and spread the word far and wide (just like the GIF below) about the movie "Cesar Chavez."
(That right there? It's the Automatic Sprinkler That Shares IMPORTANT KNOWLEDGE all across the Internets! That's what you're going to help do during our #UpChat! Or maybe it's meant for irrigation in fields ... ahem.)
The short version: Cesar Chavez got a bunch of farmworkers to come together for fair labor practices because conditions were so terrible in that industry. And while there's still more work to be done, he essentially changed the game, empowering farmworkers to stand up for what they deserve. Yeah, THAT Cesar Chavez.
OK, Upworthy, where are you going with this exactly?
The folks here at Upworthy are joining forces with TakePart (the lovely people behind the film "Cesar Chavez," which inspired this chat) to talk about fair working conditions on farms with an #UpChat on Twitter.
Sounds great! But what exactly is an #UpChat? What's the aim?
Good question! An #UpChat is a discussion using Twitter where we talk about an important issue. This chat will be about how we get food from farm to table in a way that's fair to workers, and about how Cesar Chavez led the way for all of us. It will be with us, TakePart, and a number of other participants. We want to bring together engaging ideas and thoughts to help shed light on this underreported issue and discuss action we can take as a country.
Please come and add to the conversation. If we’re really lucky, #UpChat might become a “thing” on Twitter — and didn't you always want to be part of a "thing"??
OK, can you tell me what I can do now?
¡Sí, se puede!
The biggest, most crucial part of all this is to have people like YOU — hey, yep, you — join us and make your voice heard. Here are the three steps:
1) Tune into #UpChat on twitter on Thursday, March 27 at 4 p.m Eastern.
2) Follow @Upworthy and @TakePart
3) Come prepared with your brain and your thoughts about the issue. Then tweet them to us using the #UpChat hashtag!
4) Check out the awesome folks joining @Upworthy and @TakePart for the #UpChat:
- Diego Luna: @diegoluna_
- Voto Latino: @VotoLatino
- Working America: @WorkingAmerica
- AFL-CIO @AFLCIO & @AFLCIOLatino
- Rebuild the Dream: @RebuildDream
- Courage Campaign: @CourageCampaign
- Jobs with Justice: @JWJNational
- Our Time: @OurTimeOrg
- Latino Rebels: @LatinoRebels
- Million Hoodies: @MillionHoodies
- Dante Barry: @DanteBarry
- Food Chains Film: @FoodChainsFilm
- Michael McCutch: @michaelmccutch
- Aura Bogado: @aurabogado
BUT I JUST CAN'T WAIT UNTIL THEN, UPWORTHY. I NEED TO DO SOMETHING NOWWWW.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch (see what I did there?), here are three other things you can do:
1) Sign a petition for a National Day of Service to be set aside in honor of Cesar Chavez.
2) Go watch the movie in theaters starting March 28. No, really. Go. Watch. The. Movie. More about that right here.
3) Check out the Equitable Food Initiative, which means better food safety, guaranteed fair conditions for those who work in the industry, and the assurance that pesticides are used appropriately — in ways that will not affect those who work among the crops or those who purchase them. In other words, win/win/win.
And for right now, here are two clips about the man and the movie. You're welcome!