Matthew Loarca stands in Cesar E. Chavez Plaza holding a Mexican flag during a protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in downtown Sacramento on Monday, June 9, 2025.
DANIEL HEUER
dheuer@sacbee.com
Today’s bombshell news that labor union leader Cesar Chavez sexually abused women and girls as young as 12 years old is a crushing blow to those who have long idolized the civil rights icon’s name and legacy.
Now, California, which has so idolized this man, must reconsider the implications of how we’ve honored him and rectify it.
In Sacramento, the capital city where Chavez famously led farmworkers on a 340-mile march from Delano in 1966, there are numerous tributes: Cesar E. Chavez Plaza occupies an entire block in the heart of our downtown, and there is a Cesar Chavez Elementary School in Meadowview. Statewide, March 31 is known as Cesar Chavez Day; it has been a state holiday for more than a quarter of a century, and was recognized as a federal commemorative holiday in 2014.
On Tuesday, the city of Sacramento announced it will still host the 24th Annual Cesar Chavez March on March 28. Name aside, the parade and festival is a jubilant celebration of Chicano culture that also honors Sacramento’s lowrider community alongside musicians and vendors.
How can Sacramento possibly begin to disentangle itself from the now-tainted name of Cesar Chavez?
By focusing on the farmworkers’ labor movement instead. Because, in the words of one of Chavez’s many victims: “The movement — that’s the hero.”
United Farm Workers — the labor union Chavez helped to build — has said it will not participate in any events honoring Chavez this year. In fact, the UFW Foundation’s response to the allegations has been nothing short of ideal:
“As a women-led organization that exists to empower communities, the allegations about abusive behavior by Cesar Chavez go against everything that we stand for,” the labor union posted on their website early Wednesday morning, after the New York Times article was published. “These disturbing allegations … are shocking, indefensible and something we are taking seriously.”
The UFW Foundation has cancelled its attendance at all Cesar Chavez Day activities this month, and focused its statement on “the healing and safety of survivors” instead. Any city, state or organization that questions how to proceed in this moment should take its cues from UFW.
Once again, the truth about a great man has been shattered under scrutiny.
But Sacramento should not cancel its parade, which celebrates California’s long — and often complicated — history with farm workers, immigrants and Mexico. It is more important now than perhaps ever before that Sacramento shows solidarity with our immigrant communities, especially those who are being targeted under the current administration.
Sacramento has always been proud to be so closely associated with labor movements, even if it’s only by dint of our location as the state capital. We cannot, and should not, let the disgusting actions of one man ugly the history that deserves to be commemorated.
Cesar E.. Chavez Plaza, Cesar Chavez Elementary School, and the annual Cesar Chavez Parade on California’s Cesar Chavez Day should all be renamed to honor the United Farm Workers movement, which is still in need of our support and our admiration.
And California must learn the hard way, once again, that raising up one man as an idol over the contributions of a community is a recipe for regret.
This story was originally published March 18, 2026 at 9:56 AM.
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Robin Epley is an opinion writer for The Sacramento Bee, with a focus on Sacramento County politics. She was born and raised in Sacramento, was a member of the Chico Enterprise-Record’s Pulitzer Prize-finalist team for coverage of the Camp Fire, and is a graduate of Chico State.