Skip to main content Skip to footer site map
S37E8

A Song for Cesar

Premiere: 9/29/2023 | 1:52 |

Trace the life and legacy of labor activist Cesar Chavez. Through interviews with Maya Angelou, Joan Baez, Carlos Santana and more, see how music and the arts were instrumental to the success of the farmworkers’ movement Chavez helped found.

WATCH PREVIEW

WATCH FULL EPISODE

Before you watch videos on this webpage, please take a moment to review and respond below:

By clicking “Accept,” you agree that WNET and its affiliates (“The WNET Group”) can share your video viewing activity with third parties as set out in our Privacy Policy in order to facilitate use of our sites and enrich your online experience. Your consent to such sharing is valid for two years or until you withdraw your consent by removing the associated browser cookie. To learn more about how we use cookies on our sites and how to revise your cookie settings, please visit the “Cookies” section of our Privacy Policy. If you click “Decline,” we will not share your individual viewing activity, but may still share aggregated and/or anonymized viewing activity in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

About the Episode

Trace the life and legacy of labor activist Cesar Chavez.

Through interviews with Maya Angelou, Joan Baez, Carlos Santana, Cheech Marin and more, see how music and the arts were instrumental to the success of the social movement Chavez helped found. Connecting the activism of the 1960s to today, musicians Abel Sanchez and Jorge Santana pay homage to Chavez, grassroots organizers and farmworkers through song.

American Masters and Latino Public Broadcasting’s VOCES present: A Song for Cesar premieres September 29 at 10 p.m. on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/americanmasters and the PBS App.

American Masters shares the stories of political “Thought Leaders” with new documentaries on PBS.

As the U.S. enters a new election cycle, examine the lives and legacies of political changemakers.

Political discourse in the United States is shaped by audacious ideas of what a society should be. But who are the influencers and disrupters of American political thought that have paved the way for the systems that we currently have—and those still to come? Beginning in September 2023, American Masters seeks to answer this question with Thought Leaders, a collection of documentaries spotlighting key figures in American politics, law and music.

Films under the Thought Leaders banner include Jerry Brown: The Disrupter, Floyd Abrams: Speaking Freely, A Song for Cesar, Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes, Moynihan, The Incomparable Mr. Buckley and others to be announced. The documentaries will premiere on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/americanmasters, and the PBS App.

“’How did we get here?’ is a question we are all asking ourselves these days, and it is a complicated one,” said Michael Kantor, Executive Producer of American Masters. “By examining the origins and accomplishments of these thought leaders who share such different perspectives, American Masters aims to add crucial context and nuance to what we’re seeing in today’s political arena.”

SHARE
PRODUCTION CREDITS

A Song for Cesar is a special presentation of American Masters and VOCES. Produced and directed by Andres Alegria and Abel Sanchez. Musical direction & original music by Abel Sanchez. Edited by Andres Alegria. For Latino Public Broadcasting, executive producer for VOCES is Sandie Viquez Pedlow and series producer for VOCES is Luis Ortiz.

This program was produced by Song for Cesar, LLC in association with American Masters Pictures and Latino Public Broadcasting with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).

About VOCES
Produced by Latino Public Broadcasting, the acclaimed PBS documentary series VOCES features the best of Latino arts, culture and history and shines a light on current issues that impact Latino Americans. Devoted to exploring the rich diversity of the Latino experience, VOCES presents new and established filmmakers and brings their powerful and illuminating stories to a national audience — on TV, online and on the PBS app. VOCES is presented by PBS SoCal and supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

About American Masters
Now in its 37th season on PBS, American Masters illuminates the lives and creative journeys of those who have left an indelible impression on our cultural landscape—through compelling, unvarnished stories. Setting the standard for documentary film profiles, the series has earned widespread critical acclaim: 28 Emmy Awards—including 10 for Outstanding Non-Fiction Series and five for Outstanding Non-Fiction Special—two News & Documentary Emmys, 14 Peabodys, three Grammys, two Producers Guild Awards, an Oscar, and many other honors. To further explore the lives and works of more than 250 masters past and present, the American Masters website offers full episodes, film outtakes, filmmaker interviews, the podcast American Masters: Creative Spark, educational resources, digital original series and more. The series is a production of The WNET Group.

American Masters is available for streaming concurrent with broadcast on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS App, available on iOS, Android, Roku streaming devices, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO. PBS station members can view many series, documentaries and specials via PBS Passport. For more information about PBS Passport, visit the PBS Passport FAQ website.

About The WNET Group
The WNET Group creates inspiring media content and meaningful experiences for diverse audiences nationwide. It is the community-supported home of New York’s THIRTEEN – America’s flagship PBS station – WLIW21, THIRTEEN PBSKids, WLIW World and Create; NJ PBS, New Jersey’s statewide public television network; Long Island’s only NPR station WLIW-FM; ALL ARTS, the arts and culture media provider; newsroom NJ Spotlight News; and FAST channel PBS Nature. Through these channels and streaming platforms, The WNET Group brings arts, culture, education, news, documentary, entertainment and DIY programming to more than five million viewers each month. The WNET Group’s award-winning productions include signature PBS series Nature, Great Performances, American Masters and Amanpour and Company and trusted local news programs MetroFocus and NJ Spotlight News with Briana Vannozzi. Inspiring curiosity and nurturing dreams, The WNET Group’s award-winning Kids’ Media and Education team produces the PBS KIDS series Cyberchase, interactive Mission US history games, and resources for families, teachers and caregivers. A leading nonprofit public media producer for more than 60 years, The WNET Group presents and distributes content that fosters lifelong learning, including multiplatform initiatives addressing poverty, jobs, economic opportunity, social justice, understanding and the environment. Through Passport, station members can stream new and archival programming anytime, anywhere. The WNET Group represents the best in public media. Join us.