One of America’s iconic civil rights and labor leaders, the late Cesar Chavez, had sexual abuse allegations brought against him.
His Legacy
Chávez co-founded the United Farm Workers Union (UFW) in 1962 and started a movement of boycotts and marches. To secure higher wages, better working conditions, and improved safety standards for migrant farm workers. The National Park Service (NPS) explains that the Delano grape strike lasted from 1965 to 1970.
What Happened
On September 8, 1965. Over 800 Filipino farmworkers with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC) struck 10 grape vineyards around Delano. They demanded a raise in both hourly wages, from $1.25 to $1.40, and in the piece rate. Piece rate is what the workers earn from each box of grapes packed. Workers wanted it to go up from 10 cents to 25 cents.
NPS said, “This decision was a big risk for Delano’s grape workers. Many lived in company housing and could be evicted with little or no notice, and, indeed, many eventually were forced to leave their homes as a consequence of striking. There was also a risk that the growers might draw from the large population of Mexican and Mexican American farm workers to replace the striking Filipino crews.” At that point, Chavez and the UFW—formerly the National Farm Workers Union (NFWA)—entered the picture.
They were still in the young years of their organization. Having worries about not having enough resources to commit to the strike. Despite the reservations, on September 16, 1965, Mexican Independence Day, they met to hold a strike vote.
Those in charge ignored the boycott and hired replacement workers from California. And went as far as Oregon, Texas, and Mexico to complete the harvest. Corporations used violent tactics to get the protesters to give up. When even the new workers began to boycott, the corporations felt pressure to respond to their demands. On July 29, 1970, the grape strike and boycott ended as the growers signed labor contracts with the unions.
Those Speaking Out
The other founder of the UFW was Dolores Huerta. She has come forward with allegations that in the 1960s. She was manipulated and pressured into having sex with Chavez, and on another occasion, was forced. BBC says, “The New York Times published an investigation on Wednesday detailing allegations from Huerta and two other women, who said Chavez groomed and sexually abused girls involved in the labor movement.”
In the article, Chavez’s family said the reports “devastated” them and they “praised” the women’s courage to come forward.
Huerta goes on to say, “the two encounters with Chavez resulted in pregnancies that she chose to keep secret, arranging for the children to be raised by other families.” She expresses, “I carried this secret for as long as I did because building the movement and securing farm worker rights was my life’s work.”
Ana Murguia and Debra Rojas, both 66, say that Chavez sexually abused both for years when they were just girls. This was around 1972-1977.
Changing Dedications
Local communities are now dealing with the new information and how to change memorials to the labor leader.
Changes have already been set in motion. BBC writes, “Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and city council members signed a proclamation on Wednesday renaming “Cesar Chavez Day” a California holiday to “Farm Workers Day.”
The Mayor said, “ The sickening reality is that what Huerta, Murguia, and Rojas endured is not isolated, nor is it of the past.”
@abcnews Dolores Huerta, the labor activist who co-founded the United Farm Workers with Cesar Chavez, said Wednesday that she was “manipulated and pressured into having sex” with him. “I can no longer stay silent and must share my own experiences.” Huerta’s statement to ABC News comes in response to a New York Times article on allegations that Chavez, the late farmworker organizer who became a national civil rights icon, abused women and minors. #news #cesarchavez #abcnews
♬ original sound – ABC News – ABC News
In DC, the US Department of Labor removed his portrait and now the US flag covers his name at the entrance.
The memorial for Chavez in Stockton, California, has a sign placed over the top of the plaque reading, “believe women and children.”
Additionally, events set in place to celebrate Cesar Chavez Day, which takes place on March 31, have been canceled or renamed.
Chavez Foundation Statement
The Chavez Foundation released a statement, “The Cesar Chavez Foundation acknowledges the prevalence of the abuse of women and children. We are committed to restorative justice and healing for those who have been harmed, and to ensure our organization reflects the dignity and safety every person deserves. We are working with leaders in the field of sexual abuse and trauma. With their help, we will figure out the best ways to support this work through the Foundation and be part of the broader solution to raise awareness and prevent mistreatment of women, especially in the communities we advocate for.”
Emphasizing that it wasn’t Chavez alone that made change, they are actively working with the Chavez Family about the organization’s identity.
Chavez’s reputation is tarnished in a definite way. As the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) has said in the BBC article, “No individual, regardless of stature or legacy, is above accountability when it comes to protecting and upholding the dignity of others.”
We must not let one person ruin or forget the work of many. Because Chavez didn’t do it alone, and we must still celebrate those who were brave enough to make a change.
