Gov. Greg Abbott announced Wednesday that Texas will no longer observe César Chavez Day and directed all state agencies to comply, while pledging to work with lawmakers next session to strike the holiday from state law.
In a statement, Abbott cited fresh allegations of sexual assault against the late labor activist.
“The State of Texas will not observe the César Chávez Day holiday. I am directing all Texas state agency heads to comply. In the upcoming legislative session, I will work with Texas lawmakers to remove César Chavez Day from state law altogether,” Abbott said.
“Reports of the horrific and widely acknowledged sexual assault allegations against César Chavez rightfully dismantle the myth of this progressive hero and undermine the narrative that elevated Chavez as a figure worthy of official state celebration.”
The move follows revelations this week that Chavez, who co-founded the United Farm Workers union with Dolores Huerta in 1962, groomed and sexually abused young girls and women in the movement.
Huerta, a co-founder and labor rights icon, publicly disclosed Wednesday that Chavez assaulted her in her 30s, describing two encounters — one in which she was “manipulated and pressured” and another where she was “forced against my will.”
Huerta said she stayed silent for 60 years to protect the farmworker cause and later revealed the assaults resulted in two pregnancies that she kept secret, arranging for the children to be raised by other families.
“I carried this secret for as long as I did because building the movement and securing farmworker rights was life’s work,” Huerta said in a statement. “The formation of a union was the only vehicle to accomplish and secure those rights and I wasn’t going to let César or anyone else get in the way.”
She added that Chavez’s actions “do not diminish the permanent improvements achieved for farmworkers with the help of thousands of people” and urged continued advocacy.
In addition to Huerta, a New York Times article named two other women who claimed that they were sexually abused by Chavez in the 1970s when they were young girls. Both women were daughters of activist organizers who had marched in demonstrations alongside Chavez.
North Texas leaders expressed betrayal. Ramiro Luna, a former member of the César Chavez Blvd Task Force in Dallas, said he feels “disheartened” and “betrayed.”
“Every single one of our leaders needs to be held accountable, especially when there’s an abuse of women and children involved,” Luna said, CBS News Texas reported.
Luna, who helped organize César Chavez parades and supported renaming a Dallas street in 2010, now calls for ending those events and rebranding César Chavez Boulevard after Huerta instead.
“We’re working with different groups to try to figure how we can move away from continuing to build the legacy of someone who betrayed us,” he said. “I would love for us to start considering renaming it to Dolores Huerta. My goal is that I would no longer do any more parades on behalf of César Chavez and instead focus my attention on putting more light and honor to Dolores Huerta, and the movement as a whole.”
Sexual assault therapist Liliana Leyva at The Turning Point in Plano said the claims reflect long-whispered issues in the Chicano community.
“Sadly, I’m not shocked. This is something that has been alluded to within the Chicano community,” Leyva said, per CBS. “I think one of the reasons why Latinas do not report, it’s the cultural atmosphere that we have, that we grew up with. There’s a lot of machismo… with silence, complicity, a lot of things that come with it.”
Leyva noted Huerta’s account underscores ongoing abuse affecting many women.
“It is something that is occurring, and continues to occur, and our waitlist just, you know, continues to grow,” she said. “So, I mean, it is something that is happening here in North Texas that I hope that we are able to speak more broadly about.”
The Chavez family described itself as “devastated” by a New York Times report on the allegations.
“Our family is devastated by today’s New York Times article about our father, César Chavez. This is deeply painful for our family,” the statement said.
“We wish peace and healing to the survivors and commend their courage to come forward. As a family steeped in the values of equity and justice, we honor the voices of those who feel unheard and who report sexual abuse. We carry our own memories of the person we knew.
Someone whose life included work and contributions that matter deeply to many people. We remain committed to farmworkers and the causes he and countless others championed and continue to champion. We ask for understanding and privacy as we continue to process this difficult information.”
Dallas officials said the city has no immediate plans to rename César Chavez Boulevard but will monitor developments.
The allegations have prompted some California leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, to say they are still processing the claims against the man long viewed as a civil rights icon for improving farmworker wages and conditions in the 1960s.