.jpeg "A Thursday afternoon press conference was held at City Hall by City Councilman Carlos Flores to speak about the city removing honorary street designations of Cesar Chavez after allegations of sexual assault were revealed Wednesday.")
A Thursday afternoon press conference was held at City Hall by City Councilman Carlos Flores to speak about the city removing honorary street designations of Cesar Chavez after allegations of sexual assault were revealed Wednesday.
Kamal Morgan
Cesar Chavez’s name will be removed from a major thoroughfare on the north side as sexual allegations have caused cities across the country to distance themselves from the civil rights icon.
Chavez street toppers along 28th Street were being removed Thursday morning, according to City Council member Carlos Flores. The city in 2020 added honorary designations to the street. Chavez’s name appeared between North Main and Beach Street. The portion from North Main to Jacksboro Highway honors Dolores Huerta.
An item to rescind part of the 2020 resolution regarding Chavez will appear on the March 31 City Council agenda. The designation and street topper for Huerta will remain.
“I think it’s important to do this, because the city values what the impact to the public is here in the city of Fort Worth,” Flores said. “We have our values that we uphold in our honorary processes so if we don’t take this action, I think it sends a wrong message.”
Fort Worth’s designation is honorary, meaning the street’s official name did not change. Thus, the city had installed signs above 28th Street marking the honorary avenue.
The honorary naming followed years of work by advocates who wanted to rename a street in Chavez’s honor. The city chose 28th Street over another major avenue because of its prominence in a heavily Hispanic north Fort Worth.
Flores said after learning about the allegations on Wednesday, he and the city took immediate action. They will review other designations or city planned events involving Chavez’s name.
This decision comes after a New York Times investigation published Wednesday revealed that Chavez, who died in 1993, groomed and assaulted girls for years who were connected to the movement that led to better pay and conditions for farm workers. Huerta, who is 95, told the newspaper she was raped and impregnated twice by Chavez.
In Texas and across the country, Chavez’s name is on schools, streets, neighborhoods, buildings, universities and parks. Fort Worth has Cesar Chavez Primary School in Diamond Hill. Downtown Dallas has a boulevard named after him. In Texas, Cesar Chavez Day has been considered an optional state holiday, though Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday that it’s coming to an end.
The Cesar Chavez & Dolores Huerta Committee of Tarrant County, which formed in 2016, said Thursday it will go by ¡Sí Se Puede! Committee of Tarrant County. The organization will not host its annual March for Justice. It will collaborate with Indivisible for the No Kings rally in downtown Fort Worth on March 28.
In a statement Wednesday afternoon, Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare said it would be inappropriate to recognize Cesar Chavez Day. He aims to replace the holiday with Veterans Day in the 2027 calendar.
Chavez and Huerta helped found the National Farm Workers Association, which later merged with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee to become the United Farm Workers. United Farm Workers aims to empower migrant workers through nonviolent tactics to have livable wages and safe working conditions.
On Tuesday, the union said it will not take part in any Cesar Chavez Day activities.
This story was originally published March 19, 2026 at 4:08 PM.
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Kamal Morgan covers racial equity issues for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He came to Texas from the Pensacola News Journal in Florida. Send tips to his email or Twitter.