what does the huelga bird stand for

A Cesar Chavez mural that was vandalized last Tuesday will be losing its so-called huelga bird the symbol of the United Farm Workers that, more recently, has been used as a Norteño gang sign.

I gotta paint over the eagle, because its a center of attention for these little gang-bangers, said Carlos Gonalez, who painted the 24th and York Streets mural.

It will be replaced by a portrait of Dolores Huerta, a leading member of the United Farm Workers. Its a compromise, Gonzalez said. I might as well pay her homage and diminish the liability on my Farm Workers mural.

Gonzalez had no doubt that a group of Sureños was responsible for last weeks vandalism. They dont care what it [actually] stands for, he said. All they know is theyre crossing out their rival symbol.

A source from the San Francisco Police Department also suspected the vandalism was a fuck you to the Norteños in the neighborhood. Its like a game of tag, the officer said. Like, catch me if you can. He said many gang members have no idea of the symbols rich, non-gang history.

Erick Arguello of Calle 24 Merchants Association said the tagging of murals by gangs is unusual nowadays. Weve havent seen it in a long time, he said. Theres a silent respect that [gangs] dont touch the murals.

Gonzalez painted the mural, titled Y tu, y yo y Cesar, in 1984 with fellow muralist Ray Patlan. They dedicated it to Chavez, the community and other revolutionary heroes, Gonzalez told Mission Local last week.

Restoration efforts are already underway. Gonzalez said he and a crew will be getting together Thursday afternoon around 2:30 p.m. to rehabilitate the artwork.

Since many of the earlier United Farm Workers Union flags were hand-made, theres considerable variation among them. But the “standard” representation seems to be a larger eagle, whose wings have 5 “steps” like the one above. From www.colapublib.org/chavez/about.html: “In 1962 César Chavez asked his cousin, Manuel, to design a flag. César wanted an Aztec eagle on the flag, but Manuel could not make an eagle that he liked. After several attempts, Manuel sketched one on a piece of brown wrapping paper. He then squared off the wing edges so that the eagle would be easier for union members to draw on their handmade red flags. The symbol of the eagle would give courage to the farm workers. César made reference to the flag by stating, “A symbol is an important thing, that is why we chose an Aztec eagle. It gives pride…When people see it they know it means dignity.” The flag was unveiled at the first mass meeting of the newly formed union. The symbolism of the flag: The black eagle signifies the dark situation of the farm worker. The Aztec eagle is an historic symbol for the people of Mexico. The UFW incorporated the Aztec eagle into its design in order to show the connection the union had to migrant workers of Mexican-American descent, though not all UFW workers were Mexican-American. The white circle signified hope and aspirations. The red background stood for the hard work and sacrifice that the union members would have to give.” Andy Behrens, 5 November 2012

SÃ, se puede (Spanish for “Yes, it is possible” or, roughly, “Yes, one can”, is the motto of the United Farm Workers. In 1972, during Cesar Chavezs 25-day fast in Phoenix, Arizona, UFWs co-founder, Dolores Huerta, came up with the slogan. The phrase has been widely adopted by other labor unions and civil rights organizations and drew widespread political and media attention as a rallying cry during the U.S. immigration reform protests. The more literal translation that the United Farm Workers uses is “Yes, it can be done!” The first known use of “Yes we can” in the United States occurred in the spring of 1974 when it was used by Dave Cash of the Philadelphia Phillies (Major League Baseball) as a rallying cry for the team. LeRoy Chatfield; et al. (UFW volunteers) (source: “UFW GLOSSARY Farmworker Movement Terminology”. Farmworker Movement Documentation Project. Si Se Puede Press. (http://www.farmworkermovement.org/essays/glossary.shtml). It has also been used in a sports context in several Latin American countries as well. Also, “SÃ, se puede” has become a rallying cry at many pro-immigration events across the United States in past few days…just what does se puede mean? Out of context, Id probably translate it loosely as “it can be done.” But context matters, and as part of a group chant the translation of “yes, we can” is entirely appropriate. Se puede is a phrase of empowerment (puede is a close cousin of el poder, a noun meaning “power”), and “we can” conveys that thought well. Gerald Erichsen (April 11, 2006) (source: “Does SÃ, se puede mean Yes, we can?” (http://spanish.about.com/b/2006/04/11/does-s-se-puede-mean-yes-we-can.htm) by Geralds Spanish Language Blog). Sources: http://ufw.org/research/history/history-si-se-puede/ and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%AD_se_puede The first variant features a plain red horizontal flag with the Aztec Eagle, the name of the organization on top in red capital letters and below its slogan, as seen here, during a protest for immigration reforms: https://bloxs.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/bakersfield.com (source: http://www.bakersfield.com/news). The second variant is very similar to the strike flag in the sense that uses the red background and the white disc featuring the black Aztec Eagle, and features the inscription above the name of the organization in black capitals and below AFLâCIO (acronym for American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, meaning it is a member of such trade union) as seen here: http://coachellaunincorporated.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Gonzalez-1-med.jpg (source: http://coachellaunincorporated.org/2012/06/25/joaquin-magon-four-day-strike/) Esteban Rivera, 19 February 2018

In 1962, Cesar Cesar and Dolores Huerta founded the United Farm Workers. Their goal was to organize the Mexican agricultural workers and improve their working conditions, mostly in California. For two decades they attempted to raise public awareness to the struggles of the farm workers for better pay and safer working conditions. They eventually succeeded, using nonviolent tactics, boycotts, pickets, strikes, and hunger strikes. Richard Chavez designed the UFW black eagle and his brother Cesar chose the black and red colors (white for their hope, black for their struggle, and red for their sacrifice) for their flags design. The story told is that Richard first sketched a “Aztec, or Mexican” black eagle on a piece of brown wrapping paper, then squared off the wing edges so that the eagle would be easier for union members to draw on their handmade red flags and banners. The black eagle (some have called it a thunderbird) became a powerful symbol and the farm workers and their supporters proudly carried the black eagle flags and banners, sometimes with the words “huelga” (strike), or “viva la causa” (Long live our cause) or simply “UFW AFL-CIO” (for the United Farm Workers, American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations) added to the basic design within the circle of hope. The similarity of the design to far-left extremist flags was not lost to their detractors. Pete Loeser, 6 November 2012, using information contained on the UFW websites (www.ufw.org/ and www.ufwfoundation.org/)

Restoration efforts are already underway. Gonzalez stated that he will be meeting with a group on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. m. to rehabilitate the artwork.

Gonzalez was certain that the vandalism from last week was the work of a group of Sureños. They dont care what it [actually] stands for, he said. All they know is theyre crossing out their rival symbol. .

“I have to cover the eagle because it serves as a focal point for these young gang members,” declared Carlos Gonalez, the muralist at 24th and York Streets.

According to Erick Arguello of the Calle 24 Merchants Association, gangs no longer frequently tag murals. Weve havent seen it in a long time, he said. Theres a silent respect that [gangs] dont touch the murals. .

FAQ

What is the meaning of the huelga bird?

Outside of prison members are called Norteños who associate with the sombrero, the machete and the Huelga bird (symbol of the United Farm Workers). They use the color red and the number 14, XIV, X4 and the letter N – 14th letter of the alphabet.

What is the significance of the word huelga?

The Spanish word “huelga” originally referred to a “cessation of work” or a “work stoppage.” It was commonly used to describe a collective action taken by workers to demand better working conditions, higher wages, or other labor-related rights. This meaning is similar to the English term “strike.”

What does the Chicano eagle mean?

It is often used by to symbolize the economic growth of farm workers. The eagle relates with the concept and emotion that was felt during the Chicano Movement.

What does the eagle represent in Cesar Chavez?

The Aztec eagle on Chávez’s shirt symbolizes the historical accomplishments of his Mexican ancestors. Chávez said, A symbol is an important thing. That is why we chose an Aztec eagle. It gives pride.