AUSTIN, Texas — Community organizations have canceled Austin’s annual César Chávez March, and four Austin city officials have called for renaming Cesar Chavez Street following the emergence of sexual misconduct allegations against the late labor leader.

Hispanic Advocates Business Leaders of Austin (HABLA), People Organized in Defense of Earth and Her Resources (PODER), and League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) called off the March 28 event, citing “caution and respect for all parties.”

According to CBS News, the allegations include claims of inappropriate sexual behavior involving women and minors during Chávez’s time leading the United Farm Workers. The claims surfaced 32 years after his death.

Austin City Council Members Vanessa Fuentes and José Velásquez, Mayor Pro Tem José “Chito” Vela, and Travis County Attorney Delia Garza issued a joint statement saying they support renaming Cesar Chavez Street.

“The recent news concerning Cesar Chavez and a history of sexual abuse is deeply disturbing,” the statement said. “We unequivocally stand with every individual who was harmed and those who bravely shared their stories.”

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Gavino Fernandez with El Concilio led the 1993 fight to change the name of 1st Street to Cesar Chavez Street. He saved letters and newspaper clippings documenting the struggle to get Austin businesses on board.

More than three decades later, he is now leading efforts to reverse that decision.

“Today, we are asking the city to rename Cesar Chavez Street back to 1st Street since we were the original petitioners to the City Council in 1993 to have the name changed,” said Fernandez.

“It is very hard and difficult for our whole community because this was a person we looked up to as a valiant hero,” said Fernandez. “But at the same time, what is more paramount to us are the victims.”

The United Farm Workers (UFW), which Chávez co-founded with Dolores Huerta in the early 1960s, said it would not participate in any César Chávez Day activities, CBS News reports. Huerta, now 95, issued a statement acknowledging two sexual encounters with Chávez in the 1960s she felt forced into, resulting in pregnancies and children placed for adoption. She said she kept them secret to protect the farmworker movement.

CBS News reports that Chávez Day events in Houston, San Antonio, and Corpus Christi have also been canceled.

“It was a very difficult decision, but once we heard that it was Dolores Huerta who had been assaulted, there was no choice then. There was no choice. And it became not an allegation, but a fact,” said Susana Almanza with PODER.

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Almanza says she is determined that the allegations against Chavez will not taint the work of the United Farm Workers. She says the movement to improve wages and living conditions for thousands of farm workers is bigger than one man.

“We remember that it was a unity of all the people coming together, United Farm Workers, supporters, allies. The conditions and the wages, everything had to change, and so we have to continue with that movement,” said Almanza.

“For years, this march has served as a powerful reminder of the values we all fought for: equality, justice, and dignity for all workers,” said Alicia Perez-Hodge, Co-Founder of HABLA and District VII Director for LULAC. “While we are deeply disappointed to pause this tradition, our priority remains the pursuit of justice, securing workers’ rights, and the well-being of our community.”

LULAC provided the following statement:

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) unequivocally condemns any form of sexual violence against women and minors and strongly denounces the actions alleged involving the late Cesar Chavez. No individual, regardless of stature or legacy, is above accountability when it comes to protecting and upholding the dignity of others. LULAC stands with all victims of sexual abuse and affirms that no one has the right to exploit or harm children or women under any circumstances. We extend our deepest concern and solidarity to those who have suffered.The actions of one person neither reflect nor diminish the integrity of the farmworker movement. LULAC remains unchanged in its support of the farmworker movement and the countless men and women who, for generations, have labored in the fields, often unseen and unheard, to sustain their families and feed this nation. Their contributions are indispensable, and their voices must be respected and protected. Our commitment is clear: to uphold dignity for all, to support those who have been harmed, and to continue advancing the civil and human rights central to the promise of America.

In Washington, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus called the allegations “deeply disturbing” and said it would work toward renaming streets, post offices, and holidays bearing Chávez’s name. Texas Values, a conservative advocacy group, separately called on Austin ISD to cancel its César Chávez/Dolores Huerta Day school holiday.

The Mexican American Legislative Caucus (MALC) also called for removing César Chávez’s name from the state holiday, saying the allegations represent “a profound betrayal” of the values he claimed to champion.