holywood model: Cesar Chávez Taught His Granddaughter to Organize. Now She’s Managing the Biden Campaign.

In the summer of 1988, when Julie Chavez Rodriguez was 10 years old, she vividly remembers her grandparents gathering the family together in their living room so her grandfather Cesar Chávez, the 61-year-old legendary cofounder of what eventually became the United Farm Workers (UFW) labor union, could tell them about his plans to begin a water-only fast to protest the use of five pesticides on table grapes, which the union contended were causing cancer and other serious health problems in fieldworkers. Chávez would go on to fast for a grueling 36 days; it was the longest and last fast of his life (he died five years later). <br><br>Chavez Rodriguez and her older sister were sometimes responsible for keeping him hydrated.

It's hard to imagine a more formative, or fitting, upbringing for the woman who would go on to be named manager of President Joe Biden's 2024 reelection campaign. "So much of my experience growing up was the perfect training ground for the work that I get to do now," Chavez Rodriguez says. "It was about bringing people together, being part of something bigger than myself, fighting for the rights of others, and improving people's lives."" title="In the summer of 1988, when Julie Chavez Rodriguez was 10 years old, she vividly remembers her grandparents gathering the family together in their living room so her grandfather Cesar Chávez, the 61-year-old legendary cofounder of what eventually became the United Farm Workers (UFW) labor union, could tell them about his plans to begin a water-only fast to protest the use of five pesticides on table grapes, which the union contended were causing cancer and other serious health problems in fieldworkers. Chávez would go on to fast for a grueling 36 days; it was the longest and last fast of his life (he died five years later).

Chavez Rodriguez and her older sister were sometimes responsible for keeping him hydrated. "We saw him grow very weak and we saw the personal toll it took on him," she says, tears welling in her eyes at the memory. "But we also saw how heroic he was in those moments." She fasted herself, for three days. "It was so hard," she remembers, "but it was an important way to experience what my grandfather had chosen to take on." All five pesticides were eventually effectively banned.

It's hard to imagine a more formative, or fitting, upbringing for the woman who would go on to be named manager of President Joe Biden's 2024 reelection campaign. "So much of my experience growing up was the perfect training ground for the work that I get to do now," Chavez Rodriguez says. "It was about bringing people together, being part of something bigger than myself, fighting for the rights of others, and improving people's lives."">

Cesar Chávez Taught His Granddaughter to Organize. Now She's Managing the Biden Campaign.

In the summer of 1988, when Julie Chavez Rodriguez was 10 years old, she vividly remembers her grandparents gathering the family together in their living room so her grandfather Cesar Chávez, the 61-year-old legendary cofounder of what eventually became the United Farm Workers (UFW) labor union, could tell them about his plans to begin a water-only fast to protest the use of five pesticides on table grapes, which the union contended were causing cancer and other serious health problems in fieldworkers. Chávez would go on to fast for a grueling 36 days; it was the longest and last fast of his life (he died five years later).

Chavez Rodriguez and her older sister were sometimes responsible for keeping him hydrated. "We saw him grow very weak and we saw the personal toll it took on him," she says, tears welling in her eyes at the memory. "But we also saw how heroic he was in those moments." She fasted herself, for three days. "It was so hard," she remembers, "but it was an important way to experience what my grandfather had chosen to take on." All five pesticides were eventually effectively banned.

It's hard to imagine a more formative, or fitting, upbringing for the woman who would go on to be named manager of President Joe Biden's 2024 reelection campaign. "So much of my experience growing up was the perfect training ground for the work that I get to do now," Chavez Rodriguez says. "It was about bringing people together, being part of something bigger than myself, fighting for the rights of others, and improving people's lives."

READ MORE