LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles, one of many cities, is joining the state of California in renaming Cesar Chavez Day on March 31 to “Farmworkers Day.”
Also on Thursday, Dolores Huerta broke her silence in an interview with “Latino USA,” a show by Futuro Media.
“I didn’t want to disclose this to anybody because I just didn’t want to hurt the work we were doing for farmworkers,” Huerta said.
Huerta said that the two times she was raped by Chavez, she felt alone. She said learning about the other alleged victims has been painful, but her activism work continues.
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“Stopping the physical and sexual attacks on children. When I say that, I also mean young men and young girls. We’ve got to put an end to it and address it,” Huerta said.
Huerta’s legacy is being celebrated at Plaza de la Raza in Lincoln Heights in a special exhibit.
It had already been planned, making its opening this week a striking coincidence.
“While we’re all sort of stunned, we all support Dolores and what she’s been through and what I imagined she’s going to continue to go through for the time being,” said Rebecca Nevarez, a staffer at Plaza de la Raza.
The exhibit runs through April 12.
As of last week, Dolores Huerta had confirmed she would be in attendance for the opening ceremony Saturday evening.