Fifth Grade
Worksheets
The Movie Theater Moment
Cesar Chavez was a Mexican American. In 1938, Cesar and his family moved from Arizona to California. Cesar's family needed to find work. They became migrant farm workers. They moved from farm to farm and picked crops. It was a grueling job. It was hard to be a farm worker. It was also hard to be a Mexican American. Mexican Americans faced a lot of discrimination. They were not treated fairly by many white people.
When Cesar was a teenager he joined the U.S. Navy. Sadly, he faced discrimination even in the service. He did not receive the same respect that white sailors did. Once when he was home on leave, Cesar went to the movies. Cesar bought his ticket and went inside. That's when he saw a sign. It said "Whites Only." The best seats in the theater were reserved for white people. This made Cesar mad! He thought it was unfair that he was treated differently just because he was a Mexican American. He sat in the "Whites Only" section. This made other movie patrons mad. People at the theater asked him to move. He refused. Finally, theater workers called the police. They arrived at the theater and took Cesar to the police station. After they spoke to him, the police let Cesar go. Cesar was free, but he was still angry!
