Antonio, We Know You
A Memoir
Winner of the L.A. Area Emmy Award for Crime/Social Issues
Winner of the award for “Best Non-Fiction,” Latinx at the 17th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards
“But for all the violence and predation, the author’s story is a comprehensive one, encompassing the issues of exploitation, assimilation, and perseverance found at the heart of the wider Chicano experience.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Antonio, We Know You: A Memoir is a powerful and deeply hopeful book about overcoming the hardships of kidnapping, the resilience and pride required to thrive past the reality of childhood sexual abuse and remaining strong to build a life of love, family reunification and purpose.
Antonio Salazar-Hobson was the 11th of 14 children living as migrant farmworkers in Arizona. At age four, he was kidnapped by his neighbors, sexually abused and eventually trafficked at a California holiday guest ranch. After years of abuse, he attempted suicide before the age of ten.
As a teen he became connected with Cesar Chavez, who took Antonio under his wing and positively changed the trajectory of his life. He found the strength to graduate law school and become an esteemed lawyer focusing on union-side labor and tribal law, conducting many federal court trials on behalf of Latino workers.
In Antonio, We Know You, Antonio aims to offer hope in desperate circumstances by sharing the legacy of his family and reflecting the dignity and sacrifices of their difficult Chicano life. It is a unique story of strength and resilience, providing an enduring example of hope to a large audience, and a model for abused and trafficked children that they can survive and protect their own ability to love.
Watch Antonio’s Interview on Spectrum News
Antonio Salazar-Hobson
Antonio Salazar-Hobson was the eleventh of fourteen migrant farmworker children born in Phoenix, Arizona. His parents worked the national picking circuit for forty years. At age four, he was kidnapped by a childless, middle-aged white couple and was trafficked until the age of ten.
As a teenager, Antonio met Cesar Chavez and was taken under his wing, a miracle which helped define his life. Antonio worked with Cesar over the next two decades. Antonio got a masters from Stanford in Latin American Studies as a Danforth Fellow, and then went on to graduate law school from UC Davis Law School, and became a labor lawyer, working with the United Farmworkers and large international unions for the past thirty years. Antonio has represented Native Americans from California to the Sioux Nation for two decades, both Indian tribes and individuals, including Emmy award winning filmmakers, renowned authors and professors,
Antonio represented the Communications Workers of America for several years as the District 9 counsel (California, Nevada and Hawaii) and represented the CWA in national cases with much success. He has now spent 30 years representing labor coalitions for the United Farmworkers, and continues to be a leading force in any labor issues. Antonio was also Controller of the California Democratic Party for eight years, increasing their donation rate by millions of dollars.
He is the author of the memoir, Antonio, We Know You, which is titled after a key moment with Cesar Chavez as he confirmed his belief in Antonio’s commitment to La Raza labor struggles.
