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The fallout from the bombshell report into the alleged sexual abuse carried out by Latino civil rights icon Cesar Chavez continues to rage across the U.S., including Dallas.
On Wednesday, The New York Times published a lengthy article detailing accusations against Chavez, who died in 1993 at the age of 66, that included rape of both women and minors. The most well–known name coming forward in the report, Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the National Farm Workers Association with Chavez in 1962, said that Chavez sexually assaulted her on at least two occasions in the 1960s, both of which resulted in pregnancies.
There aren’t many more prominent figures in American civil rights history than Chavez, the labor leader who favored a non-violent approach to activism. He, along with Huerta, led campaigns that improved pay and working conditions for farmworkers, bringing international attention to labor injustices and inspiring broader movements for civil rights and social justice in the United States.
People interviewed in the report explained that they kept their stories a secret, with some exceptions, out of a concern the accusations would harm the cause for which they all worked so hard to bring attention to. Although Chavez has been a common presence in history books and on city street signs for decades, his name and the cause he championed are getting fresh attention, including in Texas.
“The State of Texas will not observe the Cesar Chavez 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 Cesar Chavez Day from state law altogether,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement on Wednesday. “Reports of the horrific and widely acknowledged sexual assault allegations against Cesar Chavez rightfully dismantle the myth of this progressive hero and undermine the narrative that elevated Chavez as a figure worthy of official state celebration.”
Arizona’s governor and the leaders of many cities in California, the states most connected to Chavez’s impact and legacy have also denounced the crimes detailed in the new report and have called off official recognition of their respective annual Cesar Chavez Day festivities. In Dallas, City Council member Adam Bazaldua released a statement on Wednesday morning calling for greater accountability in the wake of the report.
“In recent weeks, we’ve seen serious conversations around the politicization of sexual abuse allegations, particularly tied to the Epstein files,” he wrote. “The news of Dolores Huerta coming forward about abuse she experienced at the hands of Cesar Chavez must be viewed through the same lens: one of accountability, not politics.”
Along with other forms of official recognition, Dallas is one of at least seven major American cities with a street named after Chavez. After his statement on Wednesday, Bazaldua was one of six city council members involved in a city memo requesting that all official city recognition of Chavez be reconsidered immediately.
Instead of Cesar Chavez Day on March 31, the memo suggests that from now on April 10 be designated as Dolores Huerta Day while also recommending the council discuss renaming Cesar Chavez Boulevard.
As for a new name for the road that runs along the eastern edge of downtown? Soraya Santos, the moderator of the Reform Dallas Facebook group had an idea on Wednesday.
“I intend to rally support in the community and Council to rename the street to honor Dolores Huerta, Chavez’ co-leader in the labor movement and still a staunch feminist and activist to this day, at 95 years old… ” Santos wrote. “Would love to see Sra. Huerta receive this much-deserved honor while she is still alive to see it and celebrate with us.”
