Cesar Chavez is seen in a California works office in 1965.George Brich/The Associated Press
Labour rights activist Dolores Huerta revealed she was among women and girls who say they were sexually abused by César Chavez, the widely admired Latino icon who brought to light the struggles of farmhands while leading the United Farm Workers union.
The stunning allegations against Mr. Chavez, who died more than three decades ago, drew immediate calls to alter memorials honouring the man who in the 1960s helped secure better wages and working conditions for farmworkers and has been long revered by many Democratic leaders in the U.S.
In a statement released Wednesday, Ms. Huerta said she stayed silent for 60 years out of concern that her words would hurt the farmworker movement.
Ms. Huerta described two sexual encounters with Mr. Chavez, one where she was “manipulated and pressured” and another where she was “forced against my will.”
“I carried this secret for as long as I did because building the movement and securing farmworker rights was life’s work. The formation of a union was the only vehicle to accomplish and secure those rights and I wasn’t going to let César or anyone else get in the way,” she said.
Ms. Huerta, who is a labour rights legend in her own right, joined Mr. Chavez in 1962 to co-found the National Farm Workers Association, which became the United Farm Workers of America.
Labour 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.
The Associated Press
For many, they were akin to Martin Luther King. Jr. and Rosa Parks because of their work advocating for racial equality and civil rights.
The New York Times first reported Wednesday that it found Mr. Chavez groomed and sexually abused young girls who worked in the movement. Ms. Huerta, too, revealed to the newspaper that she was a victim of the abuse in her 30s.
Ms. Huerta later said both sexual encounters with Mr. Chavez led to pregnancies, which she kept secret, and that she arranged for the children to be raised by other families. “No one knew the full truth about how they were conceived until just a few weeks ago,” she said in her statement.
Ms. Huerta said she did not know that Mr. Chavez hurt other women and condemned his actions but emphasized that the farmworker movement is bigger than one person.
“César’s actions do not diminish the permanent improvements achieved for farmworkers with the help of thousands of people,” Ms. Huerta said in her statement. “We must continue to engage and support our community, which needs advocacy and activism now more than ever.”
Streets, schools and parks across the Southwest bear Mr. Chavez’s name. California became the first state to commemorate his birthday, and in 2014, then-president Barack Obama proclaimed March 31 as national César Chavez Day.
President Joe Biden had a bronze bust of Mr. Chavez installed in the Oval Office when he moved into the White House.
Reactions Wednesday were swift from many in both parties.
Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott said the state will not observe the César Chavez Day holiday and that he will urge the state Legislature to remove it altogether.
Days before the allegations were revealed publicly, several César Chavez celebrations in San Francisco, Texas and in his home state of Arizona were cancelled at the request of the César Chavez Foundation. Organizers of cancelled events did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Associated Press.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said he was still processing the news. The Democratic governor wouldn’t commit to making any changes to the state holiday, saying the farmworker movement was much more than Mr. Chavez. “It’s about labour. It’s about social justice, economic justice, racial justice.”
A spokesperson for Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs said she has declined to recognize March 31 as César Chavez Day as she has in the two prior years. César Chavez Day isn’t a state holiday in Arizona.
Next week, the Phoenix City Council is set to vote on whether to rename the March 31 holiday, as well as buildings and city streets that bear Mr. Chavez’s name. The mayor and two city council members want the holiday to be renamed Farmworkers Day.
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller ordered a review of how Chavez is recognized across the city. And U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján, a New Mexico Democrat, said abuse of any kind, especially against children, is a betrayal of the values that Latino leaders have championed for generations.
“His name should be removed from landmarks, institutions and honours,” Mr. Luján said of Mr. Chavez.
Born in Yuma, Ariz., Mr. Chavez grew up in a Mexican-American family that travelled around California picking lettuce, grapes, cotton and other seasonal crops. He died in California in 1993 at age 66.
Mr. Chavez is known nationally for his early organizing in the fields, a hunger strike, a grape boycott and eventual victory in getting growers to negotiate with farmworkers for better wages and working conditions.
Latino leaders and community groups are now weighing the impact of Mr. Chavez’s actions on the labour rights movement while emphasizing that the farmworker movement was led by thousands who came together to fight for justice.
The League of United Latin American Citizens, a civil rights organization, released a statement condemning any form of sexual violence, stating that “no individual, regardless of statue or legacy is above accountability.” Similarly, leaders from the non-profit Voto Latino said in a statement that no matter his legacy or historical framing Mr. Chavez’s actions are inexcusable. But, they said, the news does not erase the work done by others.
“The women who organized, marched, and sacrificed alongside farmworkers carried this movement on their backs,” Voto Latino said.
U.S. Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández, chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, issued a statement saying she was heartbroken and deeply disturbed by the stories of women who say they were abused.
The United Farm Workers union quickly distanced itself from annual celebrations of its founder, calling the allegations troubling.
In a statement Tuesday, the union said allegations of “abuse of young women or minors” were concerning enough to urge people around the country to participate in immigration justice events or acts of service instead of the typical events in March to commemorate Mr. Chavez’s legacy.