FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) \u2014 A Fresno State alumnus is back on campus after reporting a New York Times investigation that prompted renewed scrutiny of C\u00e9sar Ch\u00e1vez\u2019s legacy across California.<\/p>\n
New York Times journalist Manny Fernandez spent more than five years investigating allegations of sexual abuse against the civil rights leader. The investigation, published March 18, was reported by Fernandez and Sarah Hurtes.<\/p>\n
Ch\u00e1vez remains a prominent figure throughout the Central Valley, with his name appearing on streets, schools and landmarks across the region.<\/p>\n
But the Times investigation detailed allegations of sexual abuse involving multiple women, including an allegation from labor leader Dolores Huerta, who told the newspaper that Ch\u00e1vez sexually assaulted her decades ago. The investigation also included allegations involving girls as young as 12.<\/p>\n
Fernandez said the investigation began with a single tip.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got the tip and we started looking at it. And basically, I never let it go,\u201d Fernandez said.<\/p>\n
Over the course of more than five years, Fernandez interviewed more than 60 people as he worked to investigate the allegations and Ch\u00e1vez\u2019s broader legacy.<\/p>\n
Fernandez said the stories of the women involved were an important part of the reporting, even though the alleged incidents happened decades ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that’s why that story needed to be told, to tell these women’s stories of, yes, it’s in the past. Yes, he’s no longer alive, but for them, it is a very real painful thing,\u201d Fernandez said.<\/p>\n
The publication of the investigation was followed by changes in how some communities across California honor Ch\u00e1vez, including the removal or reconsideration of Ch\u00e1vez-related street signs and monuments.<\/p>\n
At Fresno State, a Ch\u00e1vez statue that once stood on campus was later covered and has since been removed.<\/p>\n
Fernandez said the reaction to the story was something he could not predict.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a reporter you learn not to think too much about what happens after your story runs, because you can never predict,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Months after the investigation was published, Fernandez returned to Fresno State, where he graduated in 1997, to speak with students preparing for careers in journalism.<\/p>\n
For Fernandez, the visit was a return to where his journalism career began.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got to be in a newsroom the first time. And I don’t have to tell you how infectious and fun it is to be in a newsroom with people who are working on journalism,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Fernandez said he once believed he would have to leave the Central Valley to find major stories. Instead, one of the biggest investigations of his career brought him back home.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat story was written by somebody from Fresno,\u201d Fernandez said.<\/p>\n
He said his goal was not simply to revisit Ch\u00e1vez\u2019s legacy, but to examine it in its entirety.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted it to talk about his legacy and the good that he did. And I also wanted to have the stories of the women saying the other things he did too,\u201d Fernandez said.<\/p>\n
Fernandez acknowledged that the reporting would be painful for people who grew up admiring Ch\u00e1vez. He said some people told him he should be ashamed for publishing the investigation.<\/p>\n
But Fernandez maintains that documenting the allegations and giving the women an opportunity to tell their stories was an important part of his work as a journalist.<\/p>\n
According to the Associated Press \u2013 the first legal action since the allegation was a complaint filed in kern county earlier this month against the C\u00e9sar Chavez foundation and the united farm workers foundation.<\/p>\n
Both are accused of failing to investigate complaints including emotional distress and sexual harassment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) \u2014 A Fresno State alumnus is back on campus after reporting a New York Times…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":481353,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[112,114,113],"class_list":["post-481352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fresno","tag-fresno","tag-fresno-headlines","tag-fresno-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=481352"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481352\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/481353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=481352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=481352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=481352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}