A New York Times investigation has found that Cesar Chavez, the late co-founder of the United Farm Workers, abused and molested multiple women and girls over the course of decades. Ana Murguia and Debra Rojas say that Chavez sexually abused them for years when they were girls in the 1970s. Murguia said Chavez assaulted her when she was 13 years old. Chavez reportedly raped Rojas when she was just 15 years old in a motel room in 1975.
Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers with Cesar Chavez, told the Times that he coerced her into sex on one occasion and also raped her in 1966, resulting in two separate pregnancies she concealed by wearing baggy clothes. Both of her children were quietly raised by other families. In a statement, Huerta said, “I carried this secret for as long as I did because building the movement and securing farmworker rights was my life’s work. … I am telling my story because the New York Times has indicated that I was not the only one — there were others. Women are coming forward, sharing that they were sexually abused and assaulted by Cesar when they were girls and teenagers.”
The United Farm Workers announced it will not participate in any Cesar Chavez Day events this month, while the Cesar Chavez Foundation said in a statement, “To the survivors: we believe you. We honor your courage, and we are very sorry for the harm you have carried in the shadows for so long.” Both organizations have established confidential channels for those who wish to report harm. Local officials in California have called for renaming schools, parks, plazas and streets bearing Chavez’s name. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs announced the state would not recognize Cesar Chavez Day on March 31. Annual parades in Tucson, Arizona, and San Francisco, California, were also canceled, along with marches in San Antonio and Laredo, Texas.
