Activity #1: An Introduction to La Raza and the UFW Grape Boycott

Time: 1 class period

Materials: Activity Worksheet, Grape Boycott Simulation and one computer for each 3-4 students

Objectives: Students will be able to:

• identify the characteristics of a boycott
• identify key elements of the UFW Grape Boycott of the 1960s-1970s

Procedure:

1. Before directing student attention to the computers, ask each student to write a brief definition of the word "boycott" on a piece of paper or in their notebook. Allow 2-3 minutes for this and then ask pairs of students to compare their answers. After another 2-3 minutes of sharing definitions, conduct a brief discussion using these questions:

• What is a "boycott" and why would people want to engage in one? [In essence, a boycott is when people choose to not purchase a product or support a business in hopes that this will produce sufficient economic pressure that the offending practice or policy will be changed. Students might be familiar with the Montgomery Bus Boycott where African Americans chose, at somewhat large personal costs, to not ride public buses until they were integrated. In this case, the boycott lasted a full year. Students might also be familiar with current boycott efforts against different clothing companies as a way of protesting labor practices in countries around the globe. People engage in boycotts as a peaceful means of protesting a particular practice or policy.]
• Is there any cause that is sufficiently important to you that you would support a boycott…or a cause that you think might lend itself to using a boycott as a protest technique? [Answers will vary. Survey student responses.]

2. Divide students into small groups and have them gather around the computers. The Grape Boycott Simulation and web page should be ready to use. Familiarize students with the navigation used to run AgentSheets simulations. Provide an Activity Worksheet to each group and allow approximately 25 minutes for students to complete it.

3. Once students have completed the Activity Worksheet in their small groups, conduct a class discussion where you review their responses. [Answers to question #1 will vary, but students should refer to different "types" of workers, the owner, Cesar Chavez, his representatives, or the consumers. Information about their roles is found in the Agent Descriptions in the simulation. Answers to #2 should point to the ways in which workers are affected by union organizers and how, once fired, they were replaced by the Braceros. It is important to note that this term, while commonplace at the time, has negative connotations in the Hispanic/Chicano/Latino community. Answers to #3 should point to the elements of an effective boycott which include a charismatic or compelling leader and sufficient time and effort to convince a critical mass of consumers to support the boycott. It takes time for the grapes to rot, symbolizing an effective boycott, because it takes time for Cesar Chavez and his supporters to penetrate the social and political consciousness of the public at large. Answers to #4 should point to the fact that, no leader and no organizing, no effective boycott. Answers to #5 will vary, but should point to the long period of organizing, the resistance of the farm owners, and the series of successes and failures that this movement experienced.]

4. Extend the discussion by asking these questions:

• What, if any, factor was central to the success of this boycott effort?
• What lessons can modern-day activists learn from this event in the history of social protest?
• In terms of the simulation, what strengths and weaknesses does it have in teaching you about the UFW Grape Boycott?

5. Conclude the lesson by either referring students to the web page for further exploration or asking them to write a paragraph on the importance of the Grape Boycott in the fight for civil and worker rights in the 1960s and 1970s.

Student names:

Date:

1. After reading the "Agent Descriptions," who are three distinctly different "actors" in this simulation and briefly summarize their roles.

2. Run the simulation. After several minutes, stop it and explain what happens in the grape fields to different workers. Be sure to identify who the Braceros are, when they are introduced to the simulation, and what happens as they appear.

3. Turn your attention to the market. Be sure you run the simulation until the boycott takes place and the grapes begin the rot in the marketplace. Identify the elements that are required for a "successful" boycott to take place like this one.

4. Imagine that there is no Cesar Chavez agent and no field representatives. What would happen when you "ran" the simulation? Once you jot down your ideas, open a new project and delete Cesar Chavez and his representatives. Were your hypotheses correct?

5. Go into the web page and review the information and photographs that are there. Write down five important pieces of information about this event in history and be prepared to both share and defend your choices to your classmates.