César Chavez Allegations
FILE - United Farm Workers leader Dolores Huerta, center, leads a rally in San Francisco's Mission District on Nov. 19, 1988, along with Howard Wallace, president of the San Francisco chapter of the UFW, left, and Maria Elena Chavez, 16, the daughter of Cesar Chavez, right, as part of a national boycott of what the UFW claims is the dangerous use of pesticides on table grapes.
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Labor rights activist Dolores Huerta revealed she was among women and girls who say they were sexually abused by César Chavez, the long-admired Latino icon, while he led the United Farm Workers union. Huerta says in a statement released Wednesday that she stayed silent for 60 years out of concern that her words would hurt the farmworker movement. The stunning allegations against Chavez, who died more than three decades ago, drew immediate calls to change events and memorials honoring the man who in the 1960s brought to light the struggles of field workers.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is supporting a proposal to rename César Chavez Day following stunning abuse allegations against the revered labor leader. Newsom said Thursday he will move quickly on legislation if it passes to rename March 31 as Farmworkers Day. Political leaders in states and cities are considering similar moves after the co-founder of the United Farm Workers of America union and others alleged Chavez sexually abused them. Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson’s office says he won’t issue a proclamation honoring César Chavez Day this year. There also are calls to alter memorials honoring the man who helped secure better wages and working conditions for farmworkers.
Dolores Huerta and the late César Chavez are both credited with leading a movement that got growers to negotiate for better wages and working conditions for farm workers. Their legacies as United Farm Workers of American co-founders and leaders are now getting new attention after allegations emerged that Chavez sexually abused girls and women, including Huerta. Cornell University labor history professor Paul Ortiz says the movement's rise is one of the most important events in U.S. history and is the most important event in U.S. Latino history. He says agricultural workers had tried to organize for centuries but almost every effort failed until the success of United Farm Workers.
