His name adorns an elementary school in the Mission, a student center at San Francisco State University, and a boulevard stretching from the shores of the Bayview to the hills of Dolores Heights. It’s long been a source of intense pride for Mexican Americans in San Francisco and beyond, an emblem of the community’s long struggle for workers rights and a beacon for immigrants striving for a permanent place in America.
But on Wednesday, the name of Cesar Chavez took on an agonizing dimension, as a yearslong New York Times investigation (opens in new tab) revealed allegations of sexual abuse by a figurehead of the labor movement, who died in 1993.
Two women revealed to the paper allegations that Chavez had molested or raped them as teenagers and had groomed them from the age of 8 or 9.
Dolores Huerta, the 95-year-old living legend who cofounded the National Farm Workers Association with Chavez and whose own name is affixed to schools and parades in San Francisco, added her own painful revelations to the report.
Huerta said Chavez raped her in 1966, leading to a pregnancy that she hid from public view and a baby whom she arranged to be raised by others. “Unfortunately, he used some of his great leadership to abuse women and children — it’s really awful,” Huerta told The New York Times.
In a statement released Wednesday, Huerta wrote, “I have never identified myself as a victim, but I now understand that I am a survivor — of violence, of sexual abuse, of domineering men who saw me, and other women, as property, or things to control.”
Labor leaders who’ve worked alongside Huerta for years rallied to her support.
“I stand with Dolores Huerta and every other survivor who endured years of pain in silence or who came forward and were dismissed, doubted, or not believed,” Joshua Arce, president of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and a leader with the Northern California District Council of Laborers, wrote Wednesday on Facebook (opens in new tab).
Dolores Huerta and her partner, Richard Chavez, brother of Cesar Chavez, during a meeting at the UFW headquarters in the mid-1970s. | Source: Getty Images
Huerta remains a stalwart figure in San Francisco labor fights.
In January, she joined more than 100 workers from LiUNA! Local 261 on the steps of City Hall to push for legislation, authored by Supervisor Myrna Melgar, that would offer fair pay for street cleaners.
“We have to thank the laborers union and the workers that are under contract for solving an issue that is really affecting everybody,” Huerta told The Standard. “San Francisco has been the gold standard for labor because it has this incredible history of having so many great labor leaders.”
In the lead-up to the report in The Times, organizations aligned with Chavez’s movement and, in some cases, bearing his name, canceled planned celebrations and marches in honor of the labor leader.
“In partnership with the UFW, we are establishing a safe and confidential process for those who wish to share their experiences of historic harm, and, if they choose to, participate in efforts toward repair and reconciliation,” the Cesar Chavez Foundation said in a statement Tuesday.
Cesar Chavez Elementary School, seen on April 25, 2020. | Source: Hearst Newspapers via Getty ImagLesson plans altered
As an after-school instructor, Eri Jimenez dropped off a child Wednesday at Cesar Chavez Elementary School on Shotwell Street, he said he was preparing to lead a lesson about Chavez at another school in a few hours. He wasn’t sure what that lesson would look like by day’s end.
“We might change up a good deal of it,” said Jimenez, 19.
“What I’ve heard and what I’ve learned about has been mostly him being pretty anti-immigrant,” he said, referring to criticism that Chavez opposed undocumented farmworkers to protect union members already in the U.S. — a legacy Jimenez said complicates the labor leader’s civil rights activism.
But the sexual abuse allegations, he said, are something else entirely.
“Cheating on your partner and abusing and sexually assaulting children is totally different,” Jimenez said.
He drew a distinction between the movement Chavez helped build and the man himself, arguing that the labor reforms and solidarity of the farmworkers’ struggle should not be discarded because of his alleged conduct.
“One person’s legacy does not make up the entirety of a movement,” he said. “Just because one person has done some horrible things does not mean that the movement itself is bad.”
“The name is an important thing, but it’s not the most integral part,” he added. “What happens in those spaces, what is celebrated, what actions the community can do — that is one of the most important.”
He hopes the story will be used as a teachable moment.
“A lot of people should know, especially these kids, that these actions are unforgivable and should not be accepted or celebrated,” he said.
A tainted legacy
After Chavez’s death, San Francisco officials were keen to honor his legacy. In 1995, the city changed the name of Army Street to Cesar Chavez Street (opens in new tab), which runs from Diamond Heights in the west to Pier 80 in the east.
The renaming caused controversy at the time. While Latino residents were supportive of it, those in Noe Valley organized against the effort — claiming a part of the city’s history was being wiped away — and put Proposition O on the ballot to restore the name Army Street. The proposition failed (opens in new tab).
Former Supervisor Tom Ammiano, who supported the name change at the time, said the community is “shattered” by the report about Chavez.
“The honor of what we thought would be his legacy … now it is tainted,” said Ammiano.
Mayor Daniel Lurie released a statement expressing support for the alleged victims of abuse.
“The accounts of abuse are deeply disturbing and unacceptable. I’ve been in touch with labor and community leaders in San Francisco and will continue to ensure we are supporting this community and all survivors,” he wrote in a social media post.
A race to rename?
Responses from public officials and organizations arrived in quick succession Wednesday.
The San Francisco Unified School District released a statement saying it “shares in the community’s concerns regarding the recent allegations involving Cesar Chavez. As these allegations have only just come to light, the district is closely monitoring the situation. We remain focused on student outcomes and do not have additional information to share on this matter at this time.”
San Francisco State University, where the Cesar Chavez Student Center is managed by an independent nonprofit auxiliary, said the 1975 building that houses the center was renamed in 1994 following a student-led effort to honor Chavez’s legacy as an activist.
“In light of recent troubling allegations concerning Chavez, SFSU recognizes the concern these reports may cause and is committed to thoughtful dialogue around complex historical legacies while continuing to foster an inclusive and supportive campus environment,” a university statement said.
One local labor leader shared that the Cesar Chavez Day and Parade’s name may be changed to “Farm Worker Justice Parade,” though talks are currently ongoing.
Assemblymember Matt Haney told The Standard that he supports renaming the statewide Cesar Chavez Day on March 31 to Dolores Huerta Day.
“I know there’s a lot of heartbreak and pain across the state to this news, including among legislators, and concern for the victims,” Haney said. “I have not yet heard what the next steps are as far as the holiday, I would expect we will discuss this soon, with our legislative leadership and the Governor.”
Melgar said the timing of the news is especially difficult as the city celebrates women’s history month. The supervisor had already planned to introduce a resolution Thursday at the Government Audit and Oversight Committee urging more attention to women’s health and safety.
“I want to have this conversation about how public safety looks at the workplace,” Melgar said. “What does that mean in women’s lives? And center it on the lived experience before we start talking about renaming [Chavez landmarks].”