BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A rape in a field, a forced kiss and reports of sexual assaults falling on deaf ears.
Dolores Huerta’s reputation is coming under fire after a New York Times investigation alleged Huerta failed to support a number of women being harassed by male United Farm Worker union leadership in the 1970s.
The lengthy article alleged more sexual harassment, sexism and rape were committed by male UFW leadership and by Cesar Chavez himself against female union members.
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Cesar Chavez founded UFW along with Dolores Huerta. But the NYT article did not describe a good relationship between the two. Meeting recordings reportedly showed Chavez telling Huerta to shut up or calling her stupid.
The article said male union leadership often downplayed, dismissed or took credit for the work Huerta did.
When accusations that Chavez sexually abused young teenage girls and engaged in other sexual misconduct came to light, Huerta said she was coerced into having sex with him and assaulted on one occasion by Chavez.
Former union members are now speaking out about their experiences. They said they reported the abuse to Huerta when it happened, but she didn’t take action.
Coachella, California in 1977, during a time when a massive battle between the union and Growers was taking place, a woman was raped by the sons of union leadership.
The woman told the Times she reported to union leadership, she was offered Valium and told to pick up the union truck she left in the field — the truck she was raped in. After the attack, multiple women in the union got together to make a women’s safety group.
According to the woman, that idea was branded as counter-organizing by male union leadership fast, and they attacked the women trying to organize.
Almost 20 years later, Liz Sullivan — the woman who was raped — wrote a letter to her previous supervisor asking why her rape was not taken seriously. Huerta showed up at her house.
Sullivan said Huerta told her rape was “just something men do to women.”
Huerta and UFW declined to give 17 News a statement, but did comment in the NYT article.
Huerta said she did not recall the meeting with Sullivan and never said anything dismissive about rape. But she did say male union leadership was often not interested in investigating sexual misconduct complaints and she tried her hardest to stick up for women in the union.