Cesar Chavez

Before the farmworkers' union, Chavez trained with Fred Ross in the Community Service Organization, registering tens of thousands of Mexican American voters in California through house meetings in the 1950s. The United Farm Workers' later electoral work, including its turnout for Robert Kennedy's 1968 California primary win, made Latino voters a recognised force in the state. Critics note his union opposed undocumented workers in some strikes, a contradiction that complicates his legacy.