NOTE: I found this journal entry on an old disk. Taken directly from the Journal of Michael Little.
Anyone else remember this event?
Jan 31 1976
C-3 Cast
We got an opportunity to meet with Cesar Chavez and the Farm Workers. Almost everyone in the cast agreed to go to do a benefit show - but there are some factors which must be mentioned here.
A. The Cast elected to do a free show to the farm workers and the Chavez camp, thereby not making any more money (of which they need badly for the scholarship fund).
B. The drive would take 3 hours each way. It has been cold but the day (free day) would be 82~ F and thus eliminate a free day of swimming, etc., and be a long hot ride on a stinky bus through the desert!
C. The cast wouldn't get home until 11:00 or later at nite.
-The bus ride to Chavez' camp is long and hot. Some of the guys don't have shirts on (I am one).
We passed Ventura State Beach. It looked SO inviting and cool. I looked around the bus and almost every head was turned to the right side of the bus as we headed south.
The drive was hot, but definitely not unbearable. The Chavez Camp sent a special bus for us. It was a nice bus but by some of the smells it could be sensed that it definitely wasn't used commercially.
The bus driver told us about the camp. It evidently was a community of about 100 and named "La Paz". The entrance was protected by guards and gates. It was decided by our man and the Chavez camp that the performance was to be at the small community rather than down in the fields where the farm workers are. Chavez evidently had a late meeting and couldn't leave the Camp.
When we finally arrived at the small community of La Paz we passed thru the guard gate wondering why there was so much security and "to do" about keeping tight security around the small community. Immediately upon entering we were warned against taking pictures of any buildings or panoramic shots of the area.
I asked myself "why the risk?" we were to soon find out why these security precautions were taken. While they didn't want us to take pictures of buildings or wide shots they were more than happy to allow us to film the residents and any small tight shots of people going thru doors or in rooms, etc.
We traveled about 2 or 3 city blocks thru small winding roads bordered by useable but definitely not new buildings and houses. Shortly we arrived at the cafeteria and served a good meal of beans, cheese enchilada, macaroni & rice. We looked around the neat yet old building and found evidence of union slogans and "cause booster" sayings on posters.
After a good meal we were given a little history of the union camp and the growth of the union by __________ (Unknown) Also introducing the international group to the causes of the UFW (Farm Workers Union) was Up with People alumni, Gene Lee. Lee has been working on the personal staff of Chavez for one month while working with the UFW for over a year now. His scope made the Chavez story meaningful to the members of the cast present.
We then watched an hour film about the 1973 grape and lettuce boycott which resulted in a lot of arrests and injuries and even death to members of the UFW. The film helped to educate us and to understand the reasons for the tight security on La Paz. It seems that there are groups in the country that would thwart the causes of Chavez.
We next went to the theater where we were to perform. It was under remodeling construction and most every room was unfinished yet it showed signs of heavy use. Even a chalk board, with a days events, showed the busy schedule of the Chavez staff. (See below)
3 cast men had been unloading the truck of the load of staging and sound boxes which would be used. Only a small assembly stage was put up and the cast finished the final touches to a live and working stage in just a few minutes. We were running a little late and so the cast met in a small room that had been recently white washed yet didn't have the light socket covers put on yet.
They immediately began warming up their vocal chords, singing voices and getting staging instructions from the staging director when the expected visit of Cesar Chavez took place. Chavez walked into the room after leaving his two German Shepard body guards at the door. He smiled and thanked the cast members for their time to come to La Paz. After a brief explanation of his cause for the farm workers Chavez was bombarded by questions from the intrigued cast.
Chavez is a short man, by my 6'2" standards, perhaps about 5'9", and has a youthful friendly face. His smile seems genuine and not full of commercial grins. He didn't once avoid a question or try to step around it to make his cause seem perfect. His drive and motivation seems to be best summed up by his one statement:
("___________" use from tape‚ I hope there is a tape somewhere of the quote. NOTE: the quote is not in this journal post.)
The encounter took the group 1/2 hour over scheduled start of the benefit show. Waiting audience could be heard down the echoing corridors of the building. It was time to perform.
The cast knew that the show would be informal - tight, but informal. The run-on finally came about and brought cheers to the waiting 70 or 80 camp workers.
Several songs stuck out in my mind and took on completely real and different meaning to me in that show. I stood back of the small hall and got excited to see the cast perform in their extremely casual work and travel clothes. Never before had I seen a performance of Up with People performed with such pride and clearness in such grubby clothes. Several buttons still adorned cast members as the announcement to wear the clothes they had on came as a complete surprise.
Songs like: Good Time, Children, Pie, Winners & Losers, God's skin.
Chavez got up in the Conga line but managed to get seated before going up front for Anamarica. The cast performed right in front of the audience with the soloists sometimes singing almost face to face with the audience. Chavez was first to stand, in the usual standing ovation, when the show was over. He asked questions of cast members for over 20 minutes and was still asking questions when the last piece of stage was taken from the hall.
He voiced his enthusiasm towards the show and expressed that he wished we could have performed for the 2,000 or more farm workers down in the valley. He said he wanted to see the show in Bakersfield, when told about it, and was completely involved in finding out all he could about UWP rather than voicing his cause to cast members after the show.
We left La Paz feeling that we had grown and experienced a happening and an encounter of great worth, whether or not we believed in his cause. Perhaps we grew even more because of the sacrifice made by all. One cast member from Belgium, Alain Thiry, said that this experience was the "best educational experience of this type" he had encountered in his 6 months with Up with People.
After arriving in Ojai at 1:30 in the morning and leaving 7 hours of bus rides behind us that day, perhaps the biggest sacrifice was made by one from the La Paz troupe, our bus driver. He still had to drive back to La Paz leaving over 14 hours of bus rides that day to bring Up With People to the tiny camp of the La Paz farm workers union.
On the Chalk board;
8:45 Introduction
9:00 Cesar
10:30 Wendy Batson Boycott Report
11:00 San Diego
Bay Area
Los Angeles
12:00 (or so) Lunch
1:00 Mt. back - briefly share
small groups
1:30 Terry Cruthers
1:45 Small Groups
Brigade
Organizing Drive
Fund Raising
Area Organization
Developing
2:45 Mt back - share strategies
3:15 Teatros, songs
4:00 Mtng Accounting Dept.
Directors; Bookkeepers
5:00 Dinner
8:00 Party
NOTE: I have finally retrieved the 16mm films from my storage. I will list them in the next day or two. It looks like I have a couple that were UWP films that I did not make. More later