“We must all dedicate our lives to make the
world a better place.” -Dolores Huerta
Today's Thoughtful Tuesday post is inspired by the charming Dolores Huerta. Dolores Huerta co-founded the National Farmworkers Association (eventually became the United Farm Workers) with Cesar Chavez. Many of us know about Cesar Chavez, but too few know about Dolores.
I was lucky enough to hear Dolores give a speech yesterday at a Cesar Chavez event at CSU Fullerton. When Dolores first walked up to the stage, I was in awe. She is currently 83 years old and is a very petite woman just like myself. When she started to talk I was even more surprised; she has an adorable and very charming voice. I personally have a voice that is mainly described as "cute" and I struggle to get people to take me seriously when I talk, so to know a woman as powerful as Dolores has a similar voice? Lets just say I was already hooked.
Dolores started off by talking about Cesar and how brilliant he was despite not having a higher education. Cesar was known for surrounding himself with people he believed were smarter than him so he could learn from them. This combined with his street smarts is why Dolores thinks Cesar was so successful.
Dolores then went on to talk about the Cesar Chavez movie (coming out on March 28th, this Friday). She discussed how empowering the movie is and how she urged us all to go see it, but then she charmingly pointed out where the movie went wrong. "I made the negotiations… in the movie you see the attorney making the negotiations but I made those negotiations, Okay." She was also able to name every single person who died for the cause, and how they passed away. She's 83 years old but still remembers these events like they were yesterday… meanwhile I barely remember last week.
As her speech went on one thing became extremely clear: Dolores fights for the rights of everyone. Dolores was able to rattle off facts about our countries prison systems, our education system, feminist issues, marriage equality, racial equality, and economic equality. She encouraged us to stand up for ourselves, to call ourselves citizens not consumers, to remember "people power", and to strive to help one another to make the world a better place.
One topic that came up towards the end was the issue of working conditions on farms today. Dolores pointed out that many farmers are still working in poor conditions such as working in pesticide covered fields. One way we can all help these workers is by buying organic products!
After being inspired last night I bought all organic groceries today:
Baby Spinach: A staple in my diet
I love tossing spinach on top of pasta, quinoa, or by itself!
Baby Carrots: Why all the baby vegetables?
I bring a bag of baby carrots to work everyday, which has earned me the nickname "bunny".
Goji Berries: A native to China
Goji berries help you feel a sense of calm, help you sleep better, can clear up your skin, improve athletic abilities and more. I eat just a handful of them after dinner as a study time snack.
Bar-nana
I haven't tried these yet but as a runner bananas are really important to eat and I'm personally not so fond of the texture of a whole banana so hopefully these work better.
Yogi tea! A different tea for all your needs!
Need to study? There's a tea for that. Upset Tummy? They have a tea for that too.
Sick? Stressed? Well… you get the picture
Almonds!
The best grab and go snack I can think of (second only to carrots).
Hemp Protein Powder
For those of you who enjoy a smoothie now and then.
I'm also happy to say that the Tiny Tea I have been drinking is also completely organic! Thank goodness!
So today was only the start, but Dolores has really inspired me to only buy organic. I'm starting to realize lately how important it is to be conscious of what I am purchasing. I used to just walk through the grocery store grabbing what sounded good (or what was cheapest) but now I'm thinking about the environmental impact (trying to eat vegan as much as possible) and the social impact (buying organic). If Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta can encourage countries around the world to stop buying California grapes, then I can sure as heck buy organic only products.
Also, in case anyone is screaming "but organic foods are SO expensive" in their heads right now.. I got all that food (minus the Hemp Powder and the Tiny Tea, I already had those) plus oatmeal and some granola bars for just 25 dollars. Organic foods might be a bit more expensive, but just think of the health issues you yourself are avoiding by eating organic AND the health issues you are saving workers from.
Thanks to my younger brother and some friends in the area, I've also felt encouraged to grow some of my own food. I'm starting small (literally) with just a few basil plants and some sunflower plants (plant sunflowers to help save the bees!).
These are my baby basil plants:
I got the planting set for $1 at target! When they get a little bigger I'm going to have to move them to another pot but for now they're pretty happy on my balcony.
Dolores is also still fighting for social justice! She has so much energy for 83!
Seriously though, check out the Dolores Huerta Foundation and find a way to help out today!
I couldn't stop myself from donating last night through the purchase of that awesome poster above. Now I just need to find the perfect spot for it in my apartment…
Ciao Ciao for now,
Kk
