Activist

How Cesar Chavez Could Have Impacted Egypt
Chris Macias 800446437
University of Texas at El Paso
Gilden, L. 10:30 class












Abstract
This paper touches on the recent developments that have been occurring throughout Egypt since January of 2011 and explains how a leader like that of Cesar Chavez could make a difference in the region. In this essay the history of Egypt since Mubarak took over the presidency as well as the beginning of the protests to recent events are discussed. Famous figure of peace, Cesar Chavez, including his life and beliefs are used to make a connection with the protestors of Egypt. Using this information it is explored whether Chavez would make an impact in Egypt today and if so how.















How Cesar Chavez could have impacted Egypt
    Egypt is a very dangerous and volatile place to be in as of late. The country recently has been going through one of the largest political struggles and power shifts ever seen. The youth of the country have been in a constant battle unfolding in front of the world to finally get back their country from the hands of tyranny, although in groups and not all together. These events along with tension with Mubarak, Muslims, and foreign powers intruding have left Egypt in a state of despair and uncertainty. I believe that Cesar Chavez would have been a great model in this situation to lead the youth together using his non-violent tactics, such as fasting, inspired by Gandhi to achieve their goals in freedom and democracy and be the face of their revolution.
Snowball Effect
    Egypt has been ruled by President Hosni Mubarak for about thirty years since he took over in 1981, until recently. Mubarak assumed the title after the assassination of former President Anwar El Sadat and has become the second longest serving president after Muhammad Ali Pasha. Before his presidency Mubarak was appointed Vice President to Sadat and even earlier had become a chief officer in the Egyptian Air Force. Since his election, though, Mubarak has some pretty questionable and tyrannical things. For instance, along with Sadat, Mubarak helped turn Egypt’s government into a form of democracy, but there is a catch. Consistently every election has seemed to be constructed in favor of Mubarak every time there is one, opponents don’t really have a chance. This sense of faux “democracy”, along with other factors, has been a major thorn in the side of

Egyptians and one of the grievances to cause underlying pressure in the population. What bears even more weight, though, is the history of corruption and abuse the people have had to deal with. The military all the way down to the police have been known to be hostile & relentless and violent to civilians as evidenced in sever events, and yet there is no punishment, but rather covering up. Politics is a slippery slope the people have to deal with as well as all or most officials are appointed and there is really no real sense of voting or election. Since the takeover the economy has also gradually decreased over time. According to Banerji (1991) “ The growth rate decreased as the GDP in 1989 was 6.3%…..compared to 6.8% from 1965-80.” Along with this there was also significant drop in Gross Investment and Consumption and a sharp rise in importing foods.
Recent Unrest
    These are just a few examples of how over time the Egyptian people’s frustration boiled into full-blown revolt. Besides decline of economy there has been decline in other areas such as quality of living (consequence of economy) where sanitation and housing are problems because most of the population lives on about 4% of the total area of Egypt. So there is not much to wonder in how the uprising started when for 30 years the people have had to deal with suppression, corruption, violence, and poor conditions in their country. The spark that ignited the protests, though, is said to come from the case of Khaled Said, a 28 year old man who was wrongfully beaten to death by police, who received no punishment. Many of the young protestors took his story and used it as a symbol of their unrest. The majority of theses protestors have been classified as the youth of the country, dubbing it “The Revolution of the Youth“. It seems Egyptians around the

ages of 20-30 are the main architects of this revolution, although there are many older protestors who helped later on. One group that has been backing the protestors throughout the whole process is the Muslim Brotherhood, a group who favors a change from democratic to Islamic government. Since the beginning the Brotherhood supported the people and helped them demonstrate, although they seemed to be separate in level of hostility and violence. Besides their opposition to Mubarak obviously, these young protestors are very much against the imposing influence of foreign powers, which includes the U.S. This is because they want to be able to establish their own government and get the country back on track without others coming in to install their own regime.
    Throughout the protests the success of the youth in the whole cause has been attributed to their use technology to organize, especially over the internet. Use of social media tools such as facebook and twitter through computer and smart phone. These sites were used to post almost all of the details, such as time and place, of the meetings. The way they organized the movement was in a way that would be a group cause rather than have a face, other then Said’s, and they would protest as peacefully as possible instead of exploding into civil war. The protests started in late January and already in great size people began marching out into cities to demonstrate. At the very beginning, even, the Egyptian government tried to restrain the people throughout the whole process. They would even result to violence and harm to try to get the people to back down. Eventually, though, the protestors would make their way in masses to Tahir Square where they could be in plain sight of all of Egypt and the world. After about a month of struggle thousands of frustrated Egyptians were finally able to force Mubarak out of his position of office,

but this wouldn’t be the final step for the country’s future.
    Uncertain Future
    In the aftermath of the ousting the country has been in a state of uncertainty for about a month. Know one is really sure what is going to happen, but Egyptians are determined to setup a favorable government. Since Mubarak stepped down the government has taken over governing the country which Egyptians hope will only last
until elections begin. Elections were approved unanimously by the people in late March as 77% voted in favor and it is said that they are going to take place in September as things are fixed and settled. Besides the military there are other factions in the midst that the people seem to be anxious of. For instance it seems the Muslim Brotherhood is eyeing office as repayment, which may have been they’re goal the whole time. The only thing is that want to change the government into one based on Islamic rule which many of the protestors don’t favor. Another thing that Egyptians are afraid of is the threat of other countries like ours trying to get in the way of what they’re doing. It’s very possible that the people achieve what they want in strength, or another party will muscle leadership away from them. In a time like this where everything is uncertain and things don’t seem to have any direction someone needs to step up and take charge, and hopefully it’s the right ones. For Egypt, though, the population needs a model and identity for the whole country, someone who can lead them through this time of vagueness.
Example of a Possible Leader for the People
    One ideal candidate for this difficult task could definitely be famous peace activist Cesar Chavez. Chavez was a Mexican American civil rights activist known for his

support of labor, specifically for latino farm workers in the sixties. Born in Yuma, Arizona, which is thousands of miles from Egypt, Chavez began as a young adult working on farms himself. After working for a few years he had his first encounters with labor unions after becoming a member of both the National Agricultural Workers Union and the National Farm Workers Labor Union. Later he would join the Community Service Organization where he became successful in organizing protests and strikes to fight discrimination on Chicanos. Later on he would eventually found his own organization along with Delores Huerta called the National Farm Workers Association. With this organization Cesar was able to conduct many famous and successful strikes, demonstrations, and protests to keep farmers from discriminating against farm workers. At one point he was the national pop culture symbol/icon for Latinos all over the country and still is today. He was even able to get over 50,000 members to join his union for a period of time because he was so influential. What he might be famous for is the Delano Grape Protests as he helped thousands of workers strike for better payment and less discrimination, which can to some sense be compared to what’s going on in Egypt (on a larger scale) for it’s  protest of inequality, discrimination, and labor & economy issues.
Impact of Chavez
    Cesar Chavez was molded by many things throughout his life, most prominently by his Hispanic culture. Among his influences he lists other famous activists such as Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, Emiliano Zapata, and Nehru as well. Chavez was a man of peace and believed that things can be accomplished without resulting to violence. He was very successful in protest due to his use of different methods such as fasting and

rallying. He was also very interested in creating unions for the people he was trying to help. Chavez would be a great role model and leader for the Egyptian people in their foggy situation today. He could be the leading face of the cause of the public agenda and fighting for what the people want. By using mass protest and methods such as boycotting, rallying, striking, and fasting the people of Egypt could peacefully maintain their position on how the country should be. They could in a sense seize power and leverage to make sure that officials and outside parties do not try to interfere. The use of unions could also come into play as that is one of the most common themes associated with Chavez. If there was a Union for either the people supporting democracy or the youth movement, organization will be larger and more effective.
    In that situation in Egypt right now Chavez could use his principles and methodology to help the youth rally people for their cause in an organized manner. I think he would be able to keep most of the strikers true to his tactics of non-retaliation and fasting to get there point across. It would also help if he helped create unions to help their cause become more inviting and grow stronger. He would also do a good job of making sure that people do not come in and ruin what the Egyptian people are trying to accomplish. Using strike and protest he would be able to blockade corrupt officials or military officers from trying to seize power from the helpless population. This also would include foreign powers such as Britain or the United States as he would promote nationalism comparable to his support of Latinos. There is also no doubt that the upcoming elections would be one of his priorities and he would make sure that they were held for his people no matter what. Although he is not alive today, Egypt needs

somebody, anybody, to step up and take initiative with their cause. They are in a foggy place right now and someone needs to be the frontrunner, the light to lead them out of the darkness because they are on the verge of being taken advantage of and having the rug taken out from under them. Hopefully a leader will emerge, one who will adopt a methodology if not exact, then similar to that of Cesar Chavez and make a difference in a place that has gone through so much hardship for so many years.



















How Cesar Chavez Could Have Impacted Egypt

Egypt:
Egypt News — Revolution and Aftermath. (2011, March 14). Retrieved from     http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/egypt/ind    ex.html?scp=2&sq=the%20state%20of%20egypt&st=cse

This webpage provides a periodical list of events going on in Egypt over about a two month period. It lists cited, checked, and reviewed reports of all that has gone on from the beginning of the up rise to the overthrow of Mubarak. This page can help me detail events in Egypt from beginning to end. The New York times is a well respected news provider that prides itself on providing reviewed, accurate information.

Banerji, A. K. (1991). Egypt under Mubarak. Round Table, 317(1), 7.

This journal goes over the Presidency of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt since he took over in the eighties. It explains how the country experiences years of decline and abuse of power. It also goes over issues of instability and the rise of extremist politics. Many other problems and aspects, including policies and relations, are detailed.  This can be helpful in going over the details of President Mubarak’s presidency and how things he did eventually caused the protests.


Ghosh, B., Hauslohner, A., Abouzeid, R., Rashidi, Y., Sherer, M., & Calabresi, M.     (2011). Revolution, Delayed. Time, 177(7), 30-36.

The article here talks about all of the parties involved in the events going on in Egypt, especially President Mubarak. It talks about Mubarak and his supporters and their brutal opposition to the uprising. It also explains the roles of the protestors and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. This is useful because it explains all factions involved and their views and methods.

Jim, M. (n.d). Tech-savvy youths led the way in Egypt protests. USA Today.

Jim Micheals describes in this article how the protests in Egypt spawned from the youth in the country using technology and several social websites to organize them. Using these tools thousands of protestors were able to meet and create their demonstrations at a rapid rate, and were fueled by incidents in neighboring countries. It also uses the opinions of a few protestors and provides examples and motives for their actions. This article can help me explain how, and when (and partly why) the protests occurred.

Morayef, H. (2011, January 28). Egypt: The View From Liberation Square. Retrieved     from http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/01/28/egypt-view-liberation-square

This article comes from the perspective of somebody who is actually experiencing the

turmoil in Egypt first hand. The author carefully expresses the frustration of the average protestor trying to fight for democracy. He details the causes of frustration from violence to corruption and abuse. He also goes on to list the historical mistreatment of the people by President Mubarak over the years. This story can help me because it gives me a first person view, why the protests occurred, and the past history of hardship in Egypt.    The Human Rights Watch is a highly recognized group that reports
Chavez:
Cesar Estrada Chavez. (2010). Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition, 1.

This encyclopedia explains Cesar Chavez and pretty much explains his life. It talks about his rise and his connections with laborers and unions. It also talks about his work with large, memorable protests around the country. This can help me explain Chavez’s work and involvement in the unions and protests.

HARRY BERNSTEIN.  (1965, December 26). Grape Strike's Impact Spreads :GRAPE     STRIKE. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File),p. B. 

This newspaper article talks about the grape strikes in California at the time of Cesar Chavez. It tells differing opinions from both sides of the labor conflict from farmers to workers and unions. This article can help me because it details the events and parties involved at around the time Chavez emerged.


García, M. T. (2010). Beyond the Fields: Cesar Chavez, the UFW, and the Struggle for     Justice in the 21st Century/The Union of Their Dreams: Power, Hope, and     Struggle in Cesar Chavez's Farm Worker Movement. Journal of American     History, 97(2), 469-471.

In this article, a book that is based on the life of Cesar Chavez is reviewed and then comments about Chavez himself are made. It also goes into Chavez’s life and his impact on American culture as well. It also details his connections and methods in protesting. This article helps me understand Chavez’s ideology and methods that he used for protest.

Garcia, R. A. (2009). Cesar Chavez and the Common Sense of Nonviolence. Journal of     American History, 95(4), 1242-1243.

This is a book review of a book that also talks about Chavez, but this one focuses mainly on his philosophy, ideas, and methods in protest. It lists his influences such as Gandhi and tells of his favoring of nonviolent protest. This will help me explain fully his interest and successful use of non-violent protest for farm workers.

Levy, J.E. (2007).  Cesar Chavez: Autobiography of  la causa. Minneapolis, MN:     University of Minnesota Press
This book covers most of the life of the late Cesar Chavez. This book details his upbringing and influences that came to shape him later on in life. It also explains the

different causes he fought for as well as why and how. This book gives me an insight to what Chavez’s influences were as well as his methodology.

Set a bar

For my first goal I'll try to do a small one. First I'm going to try to be as courteous as I possibly can and show my manners. I'll hold doors for people and try not to cut people, but let them go along their way. And I think moreover I can focus on doing this to my brother. We've had our battles lately and sometimes things get a little chippy, but I love him and I think he deserves me to be more friendly and bro-ly to him.
 Now for my larger goal I'm thinking that I should try to challenge myself artistically, since I believe that's my strong suit. Now I don't think my name will be of the house hold variety hands down, but I'm going to try to be the best as far as my abilities can take me. And with these attributes I think I can create and start a campaign for peace (maybe specify later on) using all forms of art connected between all types of artists. This way we can bombard people with visual stimulus to force our point and maybe make a dent in peoples lives some day.

Peace and Basketball

To me inner peace has everything to do with basketball. I love shooting hoops or watching basketball on TV. For a few years now the sport has taken me over like some sort of small addiction. I love watching some college hoops and most of the NBA season through the playoffs. Some of the best experiences I've had were actually being at live professional games. Mostly I love to go watch UTEP play in the Don Haskins Center which I think is one of the best arenas in sports. I do have one NBA game under my belt though, one of the most memorable things I've done, in San Antonio. Even though these events were great memories that I'll always remember the only time I'm in total inner peace has to be when I play the game myself. When I shoot it's a way to relax and clear my mind of other stuff I was thinking of. I don't worry about anything, but clear everything and just try to practice hitting shots.

Opinions

In school we’re all taught that the best and only way to write any professional papers, or really any way to speak your ideas to others, is the classical writing style using Ethos, Logos, and Pathos. In our society today it seems very hard to find examples of this except for very respectable outlets of information, such as the New York Times. In any case, though, most other companies or corporations that produce mass information for people are not exactly “following the rules” and don’t really go out of their way to promote or teach the style we learn for a few classes in high school or college. Today it seems the norm to let emotions run wild, as it presides over all other appeals, to get people to listen to you, let alone to be informed. Even professional speakers, politicians, and correspondents throw ethics and information out of the window when addressing the public and it’s a trend that seems to be getting out of hand quickly.
    Now, this issue isn’t rampant to the point where no one can get a word in edge wise and it is almost impossible to get any factual evidence with data to support any claims or ideas, but it’s to a point where it’s really becoming an injustice to the people. Those that distribute such information should be embarrassed that any information that is not intended to be opinion is not 100% fact checked and unbiased. It’s happening way too often then it should and it seems to affect politics from the general public to government officials.
    It’s not too hard to find evidence either because practically every day you can flip on the television or read a newspaper in print or online that is very aggressive in emotion. There are countless examples, but two prominent ones that I will bring attention to. One was the planning of a mosque to be built in New York City a few blocks away from the site of 9/11. Of course tempers flared and irrationality ensued as many pundits were attacking the city’s officials, the Imam, and in general were causing paranoia. Instead of reporting and gathering people’s opinions the actual pundits themselves took to putting their own two cents into the whole thing. Many people were saying that it was a tribute to the attacks while others were saying that it would turn into a fostering home for terrorists to plot. This is unfortunate because all these poor people wanted was a place to worship, which shouldn’t be denied. Another great example would be the shooting of Arizona Governor Gabrielle Giffords. Many people thought that heated extremism in politics influenced the shooter, but it’s still unclear. This turned into a bad argument on both sides because this story brought on the realization to question how intense politics had gotten in our day and age. This issue itself was the poster child of it’s own argument as many analysts and politicians fought tooth and nail over whether this was an important issue and cause.
    I think this is a problem that we need to address soon before it gets out of hand and terrible things happen. Right now these providers of information aren’t being held accountable to a standard of integrity other than their own. If they provide any inaccurate information or let employees inject their thoughts there should be consequences if they are not addressed. I believe that there should be some sort of agency like the FCC that can police these companies that stream information. This way it is guaranteed that consumers get fact-checked precise data instead of opinions or generalizations.