The future of Tarrant County schools, streets, holidays and events honoring César Chávez is unknown as sexual abuse allegations emerge against the civil rights leader.
A New York Times investigation published Wednesday detailed allegations that Chávez groomed and sexually abused underaged girls and women connected to the farmworkers movement during the 1960s and 1970s.
United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta, 95, shared publicly for the first time in the report that she was sexually assaulted by him on two separate occasions during that time period.
Communities across the state and country — including in Fort Worth — are now grappling with how to reconsider Chávez’s legacy. He died at 66 in 1993. César Chávez Day celebrations honoring his March 31 birthday have been canceled as the United Farm Workers union distances itself from any related events.
For more than 25 years, the César Chávez & Dolores Huerta Committee of Tarrant County has hosted annual marches, birthday celebrations and advocated for citywide recognitions to honor the labor leader. The organization’s president Maricela Jimenez did not respond to the Report’s requests for comment asking how the group is moving forward.
The committee’s permits for a ‘No Kings, No Ice’ protest on March 28 that was to also honor Chávez and Huerta had not been canceled as of 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, a spokesperson for the city told KERA News. Social media posts promoting the rally remained on the group’s pages as of 6 p.m.
César Chávez on the picket line with United Farm Workers union strikers at grocery store on North Main and 33rd streets in Fort Worth circa 1969. (Courtesy | UTA Libraries Digital Gallery)
Chávez visited Fort Worth in September 1985 as the United Farm Workers pushed for fair wages. The civil rights leader spoke at a fundraiser in the Mistletoe Heights neighborhood about the struggle of farmworkers, particularly those affected by pesticide spraying and a lack of health care.
A spokesperson with Fort Worth ISD did not immediately respond to questions about whether Cesar Chavez Elementary School in Diamond Hill will retain its name. The district is closed for spring break. FWISD students are off March 23, which had previously been noted as Chávez Huerta Day, while Monday is a professional development day for staff.
Fort Worth Mayor Pro Tem Carlos Flores said he only recently became aware of the allegations, so it is “essential that all relevant facts and personal testimonies” be carefully considered. The Chávez family should be given a fair opportunity to respond to the allegations, he said.
Flores has championed initiatives recognizing Chávez, which included honorarily renaming a section of N.W. 28th Street after Chávez in the Northside. Last year, he proposed making César Chávez Day a paid holiday for city employees, but the plan didn’t move forward.
“I believe that accountability is necessary, regardless of a person’s stature or legacy,” Flores said in a statement. “I will continue to monitor this matter with close attention.”
The Times reported that the Chávez family said they were “not in a position to judge” the allegations.
Jeanette Martinez, the first Latina to serve on Fort Worth City Council, said she stands with Huerta, the United Farm Workers and all survivors in “demanding truth, accountability and protection for women and children in every community.”
“We must honor history and the broader movement for justice and workers’ rights while also acknowledging that no legacy is beyond accountability,” she said in a statement.
Gov. Greg Abbott, who is campaigning for reelection in November, said in a statement Wednesday that he directed state agency heads to stop observing the March 31 holiday in Chávez’s honor.
Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare said in a statement that he is exploring legal options to immediately stop the county from recognizing the holiday and would call a special meeting, if necessary, he said.
“From targeting minors to forcing himself on his co-founder Dolores Huerta, impregnating her twice, these claims are horrific,” he said of the allegations. “We should all pray for the victims involved.”
O’Hare, who is campaigning for reelection, plans to propose replacing César Chávez Day with Veterans Day for the county’s 2027 paid holiday schedule. The commissioners court considered swapping the two holidays in 2024, but the plan didn’t move forward.
This is a developing story that will be updated as more information becomes available.
David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports.
The Fort Worth Report’s arts and culture coverage is supported in part by the Meta Alice Keith Bratten Foundation and the Virginia Hobbs Charitable Trust. At the Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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