Government surveillance of United Farmworkers focus of presentation at CSUSB Pfau Library

As the United Farmworkers Union organized to better the conditions of those working in the fields harvesting crops and performing other labor in the 1960s, the FBI was working behind the scenes to thwart the efforts of labor leader Cesar E. Chavez. That will be one of the topics Jose Angel Gutierrez, considered one of the Four Horsemen of the Chicano Movement and author of the book, “The Eagle Has Eyes,” is expected to discuss during a program at the John M. Pfau Library on Thursday, May 9. The presentation will begin at 2 p.m. in the library’s Multimedia Center, room PL-5005. The program is free and open to the public; parking is $6 at the university. “The Eagle Has Eyes” (Michigan State University Press, 2019) “is the first of its kind to bring transparency to the FBI’s attempts to destroy the incipient Chicano Movement of the 1960s. While the activities of the deep state are current research topics, this has not always been the case,” according to the publisher’s website. “The role of the U.S. government in suppressing marginalized racial and ethnic minorities began to be documented with the advent of the Freedom of Information Act and most recently by disclosures of whistle blowers. This book utilizes declassified files from the FBI to investigate the agency’s role in thwarting Cesar E. Chavez’s efforts to build a labor union for farm workers and documents the roles of the FBI, California state police, and local police in assisting those who opposed Chavez.” Following the presentation, Enrique Murillo, professor of education and executive director of the Latino Education and Advocacy Days (LEAD), will lead a question-and-answer session with Gutierrez. Recently named the recipient of the prestigious 2019 Hispanic Hero Award, Gutierrez stands out as one of the most important and influential leaders of the Chicano movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s, along with Chavez, Reies López Tijerina and Corky Gonzales. He was a founding member of the Mexican American Youth Organization (MAYO) in 1967, one of the first student activist groups of the Chicano movement. He also was a founding member and past president of the political third-party La Raza Unida Party, which challenged the Democratic and Republican parties to court overlooked Mexican-American and Latino voters. A professor emeritus of political science and founder of the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas-Arlington, Gutierrez was most recently named the padrino de honor, or honorary co-chair, for the 2019 LEAD Summit held in March at CSUSB. He holds both a Ph.D. and a J.D., and is the author or co-author of 17 books. His last work, a political biography, won Best Biography award from Latino Literacy Network. He has been an elected and appointed public official in Texas and Oregon, and a key figure in the founding of the Mexican American Unity Council, the National Council of La Raza, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Midwest and Northwest Voter Registration and Education Projects, and the Oregon Council for Hispanic Advancement. He has been the subject of many articles and film documentaries, including the PBS video series, “CHICANO! The Mexican American Struggle for Civil Rights,” and is mentioned in many Chicano history and political science books. He was also featured as an “Innovator” in the PBS documentary series “School: The Story of American Public Education.” More recently, Gutiérrez was featured in a segment of “Prejudice and Pride: the Chicano Movement,” which was part of the PBS series, “Latino Americans.”For more information, contact Robie Madrigal at rmadriga@csusb.edu or (909) 537-5104.