The explosive revelations of sexual abuse and molestation by Cesar Chavez have reverberated across the country, triggering cancellations of celebrations in his honor, the removal of streets bearing his name, and statues in his likeness.
A bombshell investigation from The New York Times revealed allegations that the once-iconic labor activist sexually abused at least two girls for years, beginning at ages 12 and 13, as well as his closest female ally, Dolores Huerta.
Huerta, the co-founder of the United Farm Workers, now 96, released a public statement on Wednesday saying Chavez had manipulated her into having sex with him in one instance and raped her in his car in another—impregnating her both times. Huerta said she concealed the pregnancies and arranged for the children to be raised by others.
In response, scores of city and state officials have denounced Chavez—who died in 1993 at age 66 of natural causes—and vowed to strip him of honors.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs on Tuesday became the first governor to announce that her state would no longer recognize March 31 as Cesar Chavez Day, according to local reports. Ten states have adopted the holiday, which former President Barack Obama designated a commemorative observance in 2014.
Gov. Greg Abbott also announced that Texas would not observe the holiday.
“The state of Texas will not observe the Cesar Chavez Day holiday. I am directing all Texas state agency heads to comply. In the upcoming legislative session, I will work with Texas lawmakers to remove Cesar Chavez Day from state law altogether,” he wrote on X.
“Reports of the horrific and widely acknowledged sexual assault allegations against Cesar Chavez rightfully dismantle the myth of this progressive hero and undermine the narrative that elevated Chavez as a figure worthy of official state celebration.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said during a news conference on Wednesday that he would be open to changing the name of Cesar Chavez Day to something still reflective of the farmworker movement.
Additionally, the Times reported that the U.S. Department of Labor had quietly removed a portrait of Chavez from the entrance of an auditorium named after him. The Labor Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Beast.
Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty also issued a statement on Wednesday announcing that he had already taken steps to rename city facilities honoring Chavez.
“As someone who supported and participated in UFW and Chavez Day marches for 30 years, I’m personally saddened and disturbed by the allegations against Cesar Chavez. We take these allegations seriously and will ensure the naming of our City facilities aligns with our values,” he wrote.
“I am appointing a Council subcommittee….to guide the renaming of our downtown plaza park,” he wrote.
Myrna Melgar, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, told the Times that a city street and elementary school named for Chavez will be renamed “in due time.”
Even the United Farm Workers movement, which developed from the work of Chavez and Huerta, canceled all of its celebratory activities for the forthcoming Chavez Day.
“My heart aches for everyone who suffered alone and in silence for years. There are no words strong enough to condemn those deplorable actions that he did. Cesar’s actions do not reflect the values of our community and our movement,” Huerta wrote in a statement on Wednesday.
She concluded: “I have kept this secret long enough. My silence ends here.”
