SAN ANTONIO — Dora and Ed Stahl were holding hands as they participated in their first Cesar Chavez March for Justice in San Antonio.
“I’m amazed as to how many groups that are grown from these ideas of organizing that Cesar had,” Dora Stahl, 91, said.
It’s fitting considering they’ve supported the United Farm Workers (UFW) movement for well over 50 years. She even has a UFW jar opener they sent for her support.
“They sent it whenever you send money. They send little things like this with the newsletter,” Dora Stahl said.
Their roots to this movement run deeper. They actually knew Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta. They had dinner with Chavez and his brother.
“Cesar was just a quiet person, friendly, easy to talk to,” Dora Stahl said.
She was a nurse in San Francisco, but did some organizing of her own when she and Ed Stahl noticed an issue within 12 Catholic churches.
“They had basically an Irish pastor, most of whom didn’t realize, that they had Spanish speakers in their parish,” Ed Stahl, 87, said.
They led hundreds of marchers asking for Spanish masses and this eventually grabbed the attention from Dolores Huerta, who saw the influence the Stahl’s had.
Huerta invited them to Delano to learn more about the grape strike.
“We took the group over and talked it over with everybody and we decided, ‘Yes we do want to support them [UFW]’” Ed Stahl said.
Dora Stahl was also dealing with a nurse strike, but supported the UFW during their first march from Delano to Sacramento. She said she was the only nurse there and even healed a blister on Chavez’ foot.
“It’s such a humble feeling after all that has happened,” Dora Stahl said.
It’s a perspective only she has.
“It’s a humbling feeling that I took care of his blister,” Dora Stahl said, smiling.
“We took the group over and talked it over with everybody and we decided, 'Yes we do want to support them [UFW]'” Ed Stahl said.
Dora Stahl was also dealing with a nurse strike at the time, but made sure to support the UFW during their first march from Delano to Sacramento. She said she was the only nurse there and even healed a blister on Chavez’ foot.
“It’s such a humble feeling after all that has happened,” Dora Stahl said.
It’s a perspective only she has.
“It’s a humbling feeling that I took care of his blister,” Dora Stahl said smiling.