THE FOLKLORE OF PLANTS: Grape

Lisa Karen Miller

           We never know, do we, what effects our actions will have on the world long after we are gone. Take the case of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Cesar Chavez, and Larry Itliong.

          “Who’s that last one?” I can hear you ask. Pour yourself a glass of wine, be patient, and I will tell you.

          In September of 1965, Filipino and Mexican immigrants had already been working for decades along the West Coast, moving with the seasons to harvest the plethora of crops that grew there.

          The Filipinos especially were worried about things like health care and providing for retirement: things that are particularly important in their culture, where extended families are common and caring for the elderly a priority.

          They took their pleas to labor organizer Itliong, who sought support from the National Farm Workers Association and its founder, Chavez. Those workers voted to support the Filipinos, and a strike was called on September 8, 1965.

          The grueling strike lasted five years. As the workers grew restless and adamant about what they needed to go back to work, the talk turned to violence.

          Chavez chose, instead, to emulate one of his heroes, Mahatma Ghandi, and go on a hunger strike.  This drew far more attention to and support for the strike than yet another news item about labor violence could have.  His strike drew praise and support from both King and Robert F. Kennedy.

          Little pebbles cast into large pools can have an eternal ripple effect.

          Vitis vinifera originated in Georgia, in Eurasia, and has traveled the world with conquerors, traders, and armies.

          The skin of red grapes contains resveratrol, a strong antioxidant. (As one comedian has it, “I don’t know what oxidants are, but I know I’m against them!”) Both red wine and red grape juice have heart-protecting properties.

          Grape seed contains even stronger antioxidants, promoting skin health and elasticity. Its extract has been used to treat varicose veins and reduce inflammation.

          Grapes are associated with abundance in Christian mythology. Moses’ spies returned from Canaan with a cluster of grapes so big it took two to lift it. What more proof was needed to name it The Promised Land?

          What could each of us do, what pebbles could we cast, that may inspire someone else to do one small thing with great love? Let’s think about that as we enjoy that glass of Chablis, shall we?