You may already know Chicano farmworker organizers Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, but do you know that Filipino and Asian-American left-wing organizers on the field such as Larry Itliong, Pete Velasco, and Philip Vera Cruz were also pioneers in the struggle? 

Because of their long overlooked role and their long struggle for recognition, October 25 is now recognized by the state of California and labor advocates as Larry Itliong Day.

Larry Dulay Itliong was part of a generation of immigrant laborers from the Philippines known as manongs. Arriving in the U.S. at the age of 16, Itliong soon distinguished himself for his sense of justice, his defiance and no-nonsense negotiating skills when dealing with farm bosses, and his keen organizing prowess.

Itliong famously stated, “I'm a son of a bitch—in terms of fighting for the rights of Filipinos in this country,” however, his fight was not only for civil rights but for social rights as well. Alongside his rank-and-file comrades of the “Delano Manongs,” Itliong, Vera Cruz, and others formed the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee of the AFL-CIO. Refusing the unjust wage of US$1.40 per hour, 1,500 AWOC members went on strike on Sept. 8, 1965, sparking the historic grape strike and boycott. 

Itliong negotiated a merger with Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta of the National Farm Workers Association. The NFWA and AWOC eventually formed the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee, bridging language barriers and showing the power of multi-ethnic solidarity.

TeleSUR takes a look at one of the forgotten heroes of labor organizing in the U.S.