Boycott Grapes, Support the United Farm Workers Union

Xavier Viramontes, a Mexican American artist based in San Francisco, California, created Boycott Grapes, Support the United Farm Workers Union at Galería de la Raza, a gallery involved in various political and social causes at the time.

The Chicano Art Movement emerged in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s. It was primarily led by Mexican Americans who used art and design to challenge discrimination and fight for social and political rights. Artists often incorporated Spanish language, Indigenous imagery, cultural symbols, and bold typography to make their cultural identity visible.

The poster was created in support of the United Farm Workers' grape boycott, which grew out of the 1965 Delano grape strike. Farmworkers organized protests against low wages and poor working conditions. Viramontes later suggested that the UFW sell the poster to support the movement. The organization reproduced it as an offset lithograph and distributed it nationally through its newspaper, El Malcriado, encouraging consumers to stop buying California table grapes.

The combination of English text with Mexican and Indigenous imagery reflects the experience of Chicano communities balancing their cultural heritage with American society. Through its visual elements, the poster communicates a political message while emphasizing cultural identity and resistance.