FROM THE FIELDS TO THE FIGHT

A life of courageous activism unfurls in Quezada Padron and Salinas’ biography of an unsung Latina labor organizer.

Like other children of migrant workers, young Jessica Govea Thorbourne toiled in the fields under the hot California sun alongside her family, enduring horrific conditions and subsisting on paltry wages. Cesar Chavez’s arrival in her town spurred her parents into joining la causa, and as they organized in their community, the budding activist learned to hone her own leadership skills. Weaving in the Delano grape strike of the late 1960s, led by Chavez and fellow labor leader Dolores Huerta, Quezada Padron ingeniously ties Jessica’s developing social consciousness to the emergent U.S. farm labor movement, underscoring a pivotal moment in the fight for labor rights. This focus, however, reduces the contributions of Filipino labor leaders and farm workers to a passing reference. As the grape strike led to an increasingly effective, widespread boycott, Jessica stepped into a prominent role in the United Farm Workers Union, eventually spearheading boycott efforts in Canada. Salinas’ vivid depictions of Brown communities working to effect change enhance the narrative, and Quezada Padron helpfully supplements this truncated spotlight on Thorbourne with a brief addendum about the activist’s life, a quick exploration of crucial words like union and pesticides, a short call to readers interested in organizing, and a timeline of the UFW.

A rich and much-needed portrait of a brilliant activist.