Labor of Love: Workers, Arts, and the Struggle for Justice

Sixty years ago, Filipino and Mexican farm workers stood shoulder to shoulder in the Delano Grape Strike, igniting a movement that reshaped labor history and inspired generations. Celebrate the courage of past generations, honor the creativity that sustains movements, and plant seeds for the struggles ahead with the Democracy Center and Great Leap’s free program.

Learn how the strike’s lessons are carried into today’s urgent struggles through a short film by award-winning filmmaker Juan Mejia's short piece on the strike and carrying its lessons into today’s urgent struggles. Then join a conversation moderated by Democracy Center Director, James E. Herr, about how movements are remembered, inherited, and renewed with Cal State LA's Victor Viesca, Grammy Award-winning musician Quetzal Flores, and artist, poet, and organizer Faith Santilla. Together they’ll explore how music and artistry fuel collective action—whether in the fields of Delano or the streets of Los Angeles—and how those tools remain vital as communities today face climate crises, inequality, and threats to democracy.