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<\/p>\nRevelations of allegations of decades of sexual abuse by the late farm worker labor legend C\u00e9sar Ch\u00e1vez cited Tuesday by the United Farm Workers and the C\u00e9sar Ch\u00e1vez Foundation and reported in detail today by The New York Times have prompted cancellations of celebrations of his March 31 birthday across several states, including California.<\/p>\n
The farm worker union co-founded in 1962 by Ch\u00e1vez and Dolores Huerta and the foundation canceled their participation in all C\u00e9sar Ch\u00e1vez Day celebrations Tuesday after learning of the pending Times report.<\/p>\n
C\u00e9sar Ch\u00e1vez Day was made a state holiday in 2000 and a federal commemorative holiday in 2014.<\/p>\n
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Dolores Huerta, 95, lives in Delano. Huerta website photo.<\/p>\n
After the publication of the Times investigation, Huerta released a shocking statement that Ch\u00e1vez had forced her to have sex with him on two occasions in the 1960s:\u00a0 \u201cI can no longer stay silent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have kept this secret long enough. My silence ends here,\u201d she said. Huerta, who turns 96 next month, lives in Delano in California\u2019s Central Valley.<\/p>\n
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said Tuesday that \u201cgiven Chavez\u2019s ties to San Jose, we want to ensure we are not further traumatizing anyone who may have experienced harm, and are reassessing city involvement in events associated with the state holiday until we learn more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mahan, along with Councilmembers Pamela Campos, Peter Ortiz and Domingo Candelas, said today the city will initiate a process \u201cto identify locations, monuments, and other sites bearing Chavez\u2019s name or likeness and drive a community-driven initiative that appropriately honors the broader farmworker justice movement without causing further harm to survivors.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ch\u00e1vez lived in East San Jose for several years, where his home is a city historical monument. In 1993, Plaza Park in San Jose was renamed Plaza de C\u00e9sar Ch\u00e1vez. Ch\u00e1vez died in 1993 at age 66.<\/p>\n
Contra Costa County announced late Tuesday it was canceling all C\u00e9sar Ch\u00e1vez Day celebrations.<\/p>\n
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Status of this year’s San Francisco parade was in doubt March 18. Poster from parade website.<\/p>\n
In San Francisco, officials said today they were reevaluating the status of the annual C\u00e9sar Ch\u00e1vez and Dolores Huerta Parade and Festival, scheduled for April 11.<\/p>\n
In addition to Contra Costa County, San Bernadino, the state of Arizona, Houston and several other Texas cities canceled Chavez Day events set for March 31, a state holiday in California and other states.<\/p>\n
Two women, Ana Murguia and Debra Rojas, told The New York Times that Ch\u00e1vez abused them for years starting when they were 12 or 13 years old. The Times report was based on on-the-record interviews with victims and was corroborated by interviews with over 60 aides, relatives, and union members, along with a review of union records, photographs, and audio recordings.<\/p>\n
\u201cI carried this secret for as long as I did because building the movement and securing farmworker rights was my life\u2019s work,\u201d said Huerta. \u201cThe formation of a union was the only vehicle to accomplish and secure those rights and I wasn\u2019t going to let C\u00e9sar or anyone else get in the way.\u201d<\/p>\n
In her statement, Huerta said that she felt disturbed by the allegations that Ch\u00e1vez had harmed girls. She emphasized that his actions didn\u2019t represent the values of the movement that they led together. \u201cMy 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,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The C\u00e9sar Ch\u00e1vez Foundation posted a statement on its website Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are deeply shocked and saddened by what we are hearing,\u201d the foundation said. \u201cThe foundation is working with leaders in the Farmworker Movement to be responsive to these allegations, support the people who may have been harmed by his actions, and ensure we are united and guided by our commitment to justice and community empowerment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 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.\u201d the foundation said. \u201cIn addition, we are investing time and resources to ensure the Foundation promotes and strengthens a workplace culture that is safe and welcoming for all.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe ask for our community\u2019s patience as we learn more.\u201d<\/p>\n
The United Farm Workers announced Tuesday that the labor organization will not participate in any activities on March 31 because of the allegations that Ch\u00e1vez was involved in the \u201cabuse of young women or minors\u201d as well as \u201cfamily issues.\u201d<\/p>\n
The union did not share specifics of the allegations, adding that reports had not been made to the organization firsthand.<\/p>\n
\u201cAllegations that very young women or girls may have been victimized are crushing,\u201d the union said in its statement. \u201cThe allegations are serious enough that we feel compelled to take urgent steps to learn more and provide space for people who may have been victimized to find support and to share their stories if that is what they choose.\u201d<\/p>\n
The union urged people to instead take part in acts of service or actions to \u201csupport farmworkers or empower vulnerable people in their own communities.\u201d<\/p>\n
The union said it was also working to establish a channel to support those who may have been harmed by Ch\u00e5vez while he worked for UFW.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese allegations have been profoundly shocking,\u201d the union said. \u201cWe need some time to get this right, including to ensure robust, trauma-informed services are available to those who may need it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Canceling events, the union said, would \u201cprovide space for people who may have been victimized to find support and to share their stories if that is what they choose.\u201d<\/p>\n
The United Farm Workers of America is the nation\u2019s oldest farm worker union. The UFW continues organizing in major agricultural sectors, chiefly in California. The UFW has dozens of union contracts protecting thousands of farm workers, among them agreements with some of the largest berry, winery, tomato, dairy and mushroom companies in California and the nation.<\/p>\n
Many UFW-sponsored laws and regulations protect all farm workers in California, especially those at non-union ranches. They include the first state standards in the U.S. to prevent further deaths and illnesses from extreme heat and in 2016 the first law in the country providing farm workers in California with overtime pay after eight hours a day.<\/p>\n