Legislative leaders in California announced Thursday they will rename César Chavez Day after The New York Times detailed allegations of abuse against him.
California was the first state to designate Chavez’s birthday as a holiday in 2000. The state’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, said Wednesday that he was still “processing” the allegations against Chavez and expressed support for his alleged victims.
Multiple women accused Chavez, who died in 1993 at the age of 66, of sexually abusing them during his time leading the push for improved working conditions for farmworkers.
Ana Murguia told the Times that when she was 13, Chavez, then 45, kissed her and pulled her pants down, telling her not to tell anyone. Debra Rojas said that Chavez groped her breasts when she was 12 and later had sex with her when was 15 — statutory rape under California law.
Dolores Huerta, who co-founded United Farm Workers (UFW) along with Chavez and Gilbert Padilla, also told the paper that the civil rights leader sexually assaulted her twice. She became pregnant from both encounters and arranged for others to raise her baby girls.
“The knowledge that he hurt young girls sickens me,” Huerta wrote Wednesday in a Medium post. “My heart aches for everyone who suffered alone and in silence for years. There are no words strong enough to condemn those deplorable actions that he did. Cesar’s actions do not reflect the values of our community and our movement.”
Reactions to the allegations against Chavez have been swift, as UFW said Tuesday it was canceling all celebrations honoring him this month. In addition to California, eight states recognize his birthday as a state holiday.
Former President Obama first proclaimed March 31 as National César Chavez Day in 2014. His birthday, though, is not an official national holiday.
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus also wrote Wednesday that is “committed to work towards renaming streets, post offices, vessels, and holidays” that bear Chavez’s name “to instead honor our community and the farmworkers whose struggle defined the movement.”
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) on Wednesday vowed to “rework” a bill he introduced last year proposing the creation of a national park dedicated to Chavez and the farmworker movement.
The California Museum, meanwhile, is taking the unprecedented step of removing Chavez from the state’s Hall of Fame. Chavez was elected to the hall posthumously in 2006 as part of its inaugural class.
“It is our hope that the legacy of his efforts continues to improve the lives of farm workers, and that the profound contributions to civil rights by Dolores Huerta, a member of the California Hall of Fame’s 7th class, and Larry Itliong, a member of the 14th class, are never forgotten,” the museum wrote in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed
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