One Night in America: Robert Kennedy, Cesar Chavez, and the Dream of Dignity

Winner of the Frances Fuller Victor Award for General Nonfiction at the 2008 Oregon Book Awards. See link below for more information!

Robert Kennedy and César Chávez came from opposite sides of the tracks of race and class that still divide Americans. Both optimists, Kennedy and Chávez shared a common vision of equality. They united in the 1960s to crusade for the rights of migrant farm workers. Farm workers faded from public consciousness following Kennedy’s assassination and Chávez’s early passing. Yet the work of Kennedy and Chávez continues to reverberate in America today.
Bender chronicles their warm friendship and embraces their bold political vision for making the American dream a reality for all. While many books discuss Kennedy or Chávez individually, this is the first book to capture their multifaceted relationship and its relevance to mainstream U.S. politics and Latino/a politics today. Bender examines their shared legacy and its continuing influence on political issues including immigration, education, war, poverty, and religion. Mapping a new political path for Mexican Americans and the poor of all backgrounds, this book argues that there is still time to prove Kennedy and Chávez right.

Oregon Book Awards