California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill to rename the state’s holiday honoring disgraced Civil Rights leader Cesar Chavez Day to “Farmworkers Day” on Thursday.

Several states have taken similar steps to remove Chavez’s name from official charters and celebrations following accusations that the late union leader sexually abused young girls.

Two women accused Chavez of abusing them when they were children in a recent New York Times article. Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) with Chavez, also revealed she was sexually abused by the late civil rights leader. The 95-year-old said both assaults resulted in pregnancies.

The UFW declared it would no longer host planned birthday celebrations for its leader after receiving these “troubling allegations” of abuse. Cesar Chavez Day is observed annually on March 31.

The California legislation, introduced by state assembly member Robert Rivas and Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón in February, passed California’s senate with bipartisan support on Thursday right before the annual holiday.

“California’s farmworker rights movement never has been about one individual,” Rivas and Limón said in a joint statement on Thursday. “To the survivors who have found the courage to come forward, uplifting the movement’s values of dignity and justice, and demanding accountability, our hearts are with you always.”

The lawmakers said the state legislature and California leadership will work to address related laws and statutes in local jurisdictions and school districts.

“This holiday will be a time for California to honor the past, reflect on the present and renew our collective dedication to equity and justice for farmworkers,” Rivas and Limón said.

Newsom will officially declare the new holiday’s name on March 31.

In a post on the social platform X on March 19, the governor commended Rivas and Limón for their work on the legislation.

“The farmworkers’ movement was always bigger than just one man or one person,” Newsom said. “Given the horrendous allegations that were made public for the first time yesterday, this is a welcomed change.”

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