I grew up in the central San Joaquin Valley in the 1940's and 1950's. I knew and went to school with any number of children of migrant families, primarily from Mexico. We were in a sparsely settled rural area and I would often ride my horse or bicycle to visit them in their camps. The people I saw mainly worked for small farms and ranches and were generally well treated, though their camps were simple cottages, often with dirt floors, and there was no indoor plumbing. I often traded lunches with my friends; burritos or taquitos for a peanut butter and jelly or bologna sandwich. I did not recognize their situation as "squalor" at that age, though I was mindful of the lack of plumbing. We used an outhouse at our mountain cabin, so it was not that strange to me.

The people with whose cause Cesar Chavez was most concerned were employed by the large multi-thousand acre corporate farms on what was known as the "West Side" of the valley. There, especially, conditions were very spartan, hours and working conditions were frequently onerous and there was often little concern for the health or well-being of the workers. Exposure to pesticides was an especially cruel consequence of their field work.

If anyone wants to pursue this in depth, I would guess that Fresno State University, with its reputation for poetry and folklore, would have a trove of related materials for research. There is also a Fresno Folklore Society, many members of which grew up in the area and some of whom may perform songs and stories related to the legacy of Cesar Chavez. Their website is www.fresnofolklore.org.