The Life of Nagi Daifullah, an Arab Labor Leader

Twenty-nine years after his death at the hands of a local sheriff, labor organizer and farm worker Nagi Daifullah is being again memorialized by fellow Yemeni and Latino workers. Nagi was a farm worker who came from Yemen looking for a better life and arrived to the inhospitable grape fields in California's central valley where he rose to become a respected labor leader. Nagi overcame his own shyness to learn Spanish and English and served as a liaison between workers within the United Farm Workers Union. In the summer of 1973, thousands of grape workers struck for just wages and working conditions. In one protest, over 3,500 workers including men, women and children were beaten by local sheriffs. Nagi was among the strikers from El Rancho Farms, near Arvin, California. He marched the picket lines for many weeks along with other Arab workers. On the morning of August 15, 1973, Nagi, who was of slight build and barely 100 pounds, was among the picketers beaten by the sheriffs. Deputy Sheriff Gilbert Cooper of the Kern County Sheriff's Department overpowered Nagi who was just 24 years old. With his six foot frame and double Nagi's weight, Sheriff Cooper dealt a blow to Nagi on the back of the head with a long metal flashlight. Nagi fell to his knees from the force. He then fell unconscious, bleeding on the sidewalk where he soon died from his injury. Thousands of farmworkers followed Nagi's casket from the funeral. His body was flown to Yemen for burial. Nagi's father, Muhsin Daifullah, commemorated his son, who gave his life in the struggle for justice for all immigrant workers. He said he had lost his son when he was needed most and that his son had often sent money supporting his family in Yemen. Today, in the spirit of Nagi, workers are uniting with each other and calling on their communities to renew their commitment to the struggle for justice in the spirit and memory of Nagi Daifullah.

Visit the Nagi Daifullah "living room" at the Arab American National Museum.