Activists, Farmworkers Remember Grape Strike, 50 Years Later

(AP) - Hundreds of former and current labor activists, both Filipino and Mexican American, flowed this weekend into the Central Valley town of Delano to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Delano Grape Strike.

It was in Delano where 50 years ago, Filipino workers first launched the Delano grape strike that altered the course of American history.

The efforts of the largely Filipino and Mexican workers were commemorated Sunday with a mass, bus tours of the historically relevant sites, films and a discussion panel.

Lorraine Agtang tells the Sacramento Bee she was 13 when she joined the strike. She says growers would pit Filipinos against Mexicans, saying the other group was working harder.

By 1966, Filipinos and Mexicans had formed the still-powerful United Farm Workers union.