Linda Locke

Huelga! True Tales from Cesar Chavez's Delano Grape Strike Linda Locke

Linda Locke's work in the Delano Grape Strike was her first venture into social work. It became a lifelong passion. While she might not be able to change the world, Locke knew she could improve a small part of it. She discovered that by working hard and securing adequate data, one could improve the lives of children of farm laborers. The systematic starvation of the children could be stopped and lives improved.

Miracles seldom happen, but they can be made. Working with farm laborers made miracles happen, such as the Contra Costa Solano Food Bank and three warehouses of food and supplements supply two counties in California. Fresh foods and vegetables were available. The price was free to those in need.

This was the first step in Locke's personal war to serving the poorest people in the United States. At the time, wages were $.65 an hour. This was a lesson to a beginning social worker that even here, in rich California, hunger happens. The farmer laborers asked a "living wage, not a dying wage." The Farm Labor Union helped the farm laborers.

Food Banks are appearing in many places. STARVATION IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. Do something about it.

About the Author

Linda Locke served for thirty years as a frontline social worker in the farm labor strike with Cesar Chavez in Contract Costa County, California. She founded the Contra Costa Solano Food Bank. By serving in jails, prisons, and locked psychiatric hospitals she has seen what most people never see. God help us all. She has seen hell and it is not a theory. Seeing the juvenile facilities, jails, prisons, and long-term care facilities made her pray for inspiration every night. Often it came. Just what came was often amazing.