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Thursday, May 30, 1996

By Toni Dimayuga

Daily Bruin Contributor

The many posters in glass cases outside the Biomedical Library tell the tale of a people's struggle and hardship.

The posters, along with books, photographs and documents, are part of the exhibit ¡Sí se puede! César E. Chávez and His Legacy, which will run through the end of June.

Chávez, who co-founded the United Farm Workers, struggled for better living and working conditions for farm workers.

The Biomedical Library exhibit is part of a three-pronged commemoration of Chávez' life and work. The two other displays ­ one in the lobby of the University Research Library, and one in front of the Chicano Studies department ­ both focus on his work in the labor movement.

The exhibit was spread out in order to give all students a chance to view the displays, said Sylvia Mariscal, co-chair of the exhibit and subject authority control coordinator of the University Research Library cataloging.

"Given the nature of this man and the movement, it warranted a campus-wide exhibit," Mariscal explained.

The Biomedical display, which opened last month, focuses on the health issues facing migrant farm workers, including the effects of pesticides and the use of the short-handled hoe, or "el cortito."

Mariscal emphasized that the exhibit shows that pesticides not only affect farm workers, but also the environment and consumers, since the chemicals adhere to the crops.

Reports documenting the negative effects of exposure to chemicals lie on the case floor. Books such as Dr. Marion Moses' "Harvest of Sorrow" were included to alert farm workers and the rest of the public to the dangers of pesticides in the field.

One part of the exhibit deals with the short-handled hoe and how it is detrimental to workers' health. Pictures of men working in the field, hunched over as they use the instrument, are featured in a book.

The hoe itself is on display, leaning against the side of the case. About two feet long, the hoe forces laborers to stoop very low to the ground. Over time, workers develop back, leg and neck problems.

A song included in the exhibit by Malvina Reynolds, aimed at then Gov. Ronald Reagan, tells the tale of workers suffering from use of "el cortito", with lines such as "He walked over like a big gorilla ... the back hurts, the neck hurts, muscles in the leg are sore."

Also included is a parody of the famous Sun Maid raisin logo, but in place of the smiling young girl is the grinning image of a skeleton, wearing the girl's familiar dress and bonnet. Instead of grapes, her basket is bearing death. The title reads "Sun Mad ­ Unnaturally Grown with insecticides, miticides, herbicides, and fungicides."

Such graphic images prove to be strong explainers of the health issues involving farm workers, said Raymond Soto, Humanities bibliographer and a member of the Chávez Commemorative Exhibit Committee.

The posters are grim because they reflect the lives of workers who live with those conditions, said Arturo Esparza, head of the circulation desk at the Rosenfeld Management Library. Esparza is also a member of the committee.

The exhibit's materials were borrowed from a number of sources, including the César Chávez Foundation, the Chicano Studies Libraries at UCLA and UC Berkeley and the Southern California Library for Social Studies and Research.

She added that committee members planned the exhibits to run during spring quarter to mark the 30-year anniversary of the beginning of the grape boycott. In addition, spring is when Chávez was born and died.

Committee members believe that the exhibit has met with positive results.

"I think it's really informative, and whenever I'm down there, I see people looking at it. It's really interesting," Soto said.

Mariscal, who stressed the importance to educate people on the movement, liked the idea of spreading the word to grammar school children, who have also been seen visiting the exhibits.

"It's really nice to see we're reaching out beyond the UCLA community," Mariscal said.

Soto wishes that the exhibit will convince people that one man can make a difference.

"I hope that people would look at the effect of one man's life over others ... that we can help each other is the point of his whole life," Soto said.

FRED HE/Daily Bruin

Students cruise past the César Chávez exhibit, on display in front of the Biomedical Library through the end of June.

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