Cesar Chavez in Fruitvale

"¡Sí, se puede! Yes, we can!" This rallying cry for labor rights echoed in Oakland in the 1960s as the United Farm Workers (UFW), led by Cesar Chavez, fought for fair treatment for farm workers. The UFW boycotted Safeway grocery stores because of anti-union practices. The Black Panther Party joined the boycott in 1979 after Safeway refused to donate food to the Panther’s free breakfast program, even after studies showed that poor kids struggled in school because they were hungry.

Over the years, the Black Panthers and UFW teamed up repeatedly to support each other in the fight for civil rights and against injustices. UFW spoke up against government killing and imprisonment of Black Panthers. The Panthers encouraged Black voters to defeat 1979’s Prop 22, which would have prevented farm workers from unionizing.

In an echo of how activism shaped policy in the past, the "Youth Advocates for Fruitvale Parks and Open Spaces" led a 2001 petition to rename this park — originally Foothills Meadows Park — to Cesar E. Chavez Park. They succeeded and Cesar E. Chavez Park re-opened in September 2002.