A Labor Day story of migrant farmworker Larry Itliong’s fight for better conditions

In 1965, Filipino-American labor organizer Larry Itliong helped lead the Delano grape strike and boycott for better wages and working conditions. It was the birth of the farmworkers labor movement and led to a landmark contract. In this animated feature from our partners at StoryCorps, Johnny Itliong talks about his father’s legacy with his own son, Aleks.
John Yang:
Finally, tonight for Labor Day, an animated story from our partners at StoryCorps. In 1965 Filipino American labor organizer Larry Itliong helped lead the Delano grape strike and boycott for better wages and working conditions. It was the birth of the farm workers labor movement and led to a landmark contract. His son Johnny Itliong talked to his son Alex about Larry’s legacy.
Johnny Itliong, Larry Itliong’ son: One of his nicknames was Seven Fingers, because when he was up working in Alaska, he lost three of his fingers. He was small in stature, but he was very, very strong man. He always wore pocketed shirts, thick Ray Ban glasses, and he would always have his cigar, his gubanos.
And I remember I would have to get up at three o’clock in the morning, and we would jump in the back of the truck, load it up full of boxes, and you stack them maybe 10, 12, feet high. I could carry about eight of them stacked up. There were so many good men living in box carts, sheds, whatever they can make out of the elements.
And I remember maybe one guy had one suit, and whoever would get a date would wear that suit, so they would share the suit. 20, 30, guys, you know that’s the Brotherhood. And when they would pass, they didn’t have family in the United States.
They had no one to say goodbye to them, and it was just us, me, my father, my brother, men who worked the fields they fed the United States. You know, my father stood up for the people who need help. At five years old, I remember running around getting the sticks, you know, I would bring sticks to the ones who were nailing the picket signs. I think that was probably like my earliest memory.
He sacrificed a lot of his family time to make a better world for us. We have big shoes to walk in, man.
Man:
Yeah.
Johnny Itliong:
I don’t feel like I’m even close, but your demeanor reminds me of him, because he was very calm. He always listened when it was time for him to speak what he said was important, and already you follow those footsteps.