March to Sacramento 1966
Harvey Richards filmed the United Farm Workers march to Sacramento in 1966 to win the right to unionize for California farm workers. Starting out in Delano in March, 1966, marchers led by Cesar Chavez and a banner of the Virgin de Guadeloupe, walked for 340 miles, taking 15 miles per day, to Sacramento.
The Land Is Rich Documents the 1966 March
In his 1966 film The Land Is Rich, Richards presented footage of this pilgrimage along with footage of the grape strike and other struggles that had led to the march and the songs of Luis Valdez. Harvey Richards’ photo images of California farm workers captured the look and feel of a formative moment in the creation of industrial agriculture in the central valley of California in the period from 1957 to 1966.
The Land Is Rich documents the history of the United Farm Workers struggle to organize California farm workers. The film contrasts the economic strength of California agribusiness with the migrant workers’ poverty shown in bread lines, living conditions and the impact of extensive exposure to agricultural chemicals. This film was used by the United Farm Workers Union.
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