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Larry Itliong, Filipino-American Labor & Civil Rights Leader

(October 25, 1913 – February 8, 1977)

Modesto Dulay Itliong was affectionately known to his adopted city of Delano, California as “Larry.”

Larry was an unsung hero of the plight of the Filipino-American farmers in Kern County, who started and helped lead the great Delano Grape Boycott from 1965 to 1970.

This is a pursuit of a team of activists to persuade the United States Postal Service to create a commemorative stamp in Larry’s honor and to keep you aware of the progress.

 
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 LARRY ITLIONG’S STORY

 

Larry & Cesar

Larry’s is best known as the right-hand man of Cesar E. Chavez and Delores Huerta behind the United Farm Workers movement that started in the early 1960’s.

Though Cesar Chavez’ story is better-known, Larry was the equally tough center who enlisted Chavez and brought together Huerta to bring national recognition of the years of systematic oppression from the grape wine growers of the region.

The Great Delano Grape Boycott represented generations of middle-aged Filipino workers at that time in their last stand to combat the working indecencies and conditions that plagued their whole working lives.

It took five years for the boycott to effect the pocketbooks of the elite wine growers until they finally came to the negotiation table. It was five years of barely holding it together for the workers with little income and support, only sacrifice.

USPS commemorative stamp of famed UFW labor leader, Cesar Chavez

 
 
 

The effort to petition the USPS for a Larry Itliong stamp

Larry’s legacy

Larry came to the United States as a teenager with just an elementary school education.

He spent three decades from farm to farm trying to support better conditions for his fellow farm workers who also worked alongside a younger generation of Mexican workers. Larry saw it clearly made sense to enlist Cesar Chavez to bring the boycott over the top nationally.

After the grape boycott strike, Larry left the UFW as he could no longer handle its internal strife.

Unions would still try to “recruit” Larry with hundreds of thousands of dollars to help maintain the unification of the workers, but Larry would never sellout his countrymen.

His legacy is forever part of the local culture and the City of Delano, California and hopefully soon, the rest of the nation (press release).

#LarryItliongForever

 

Add your name & we’ll keep in touch on the status of this USPS effort.

 
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