The nation’s oldest farmworker union announced Tuesday that it has canceled all events celebrating labor organizer César Chávez after allegations surfaced that he sexually assaulted several women and girls.
“As a women-led organization that exists to empower communities, the allegations about abusive behavior by César Chávez go against everything that we stand for,” the United Farm Workers, or UFW, said in a statement published on its website. “These disturbing allegations involve inappropriate behavior by César Chávez with young women and minors. They are shocking, indefensible and something we are taking seriously.”
The announcement followed a New York Times investigation that found years of similar accusations.
In an Instagram post Wednesday, civil rights leader Dolores Huerta said Chávez forced her to have sex twice and that both encounters resulted in pregnancies.
“The first time I was manipulated and pressured into having sex with him, and I didn’t feel I could say no because he was someone that I admired, my boss and the leader of the movement I had already devoted years of my life to,” she said. “The second time I was forced, against my will, and in an environment where I felt trapped.”
The 96-year-old said she had remained silent for six decades out of fear that her story would hurt the movement to which she has dedicated her life.
“I had experienced abuse and sexual violence before, and I convinced myself these were incidents that I had to endure alone and in secret,” she said.
Chávez has become an icon in Mexican American culture, with roads and buildings nationwide named after him and elementary school lessons extolling his efforts to bring dignity and civil rights to farmworkers.
In a statement released Wednesday, Chávez’s family said it is “devastated” by the news.
“This is deeply painful for our family,” the statement reads. “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.”
The statement added that family members carry their own memories of Chávez, who they said is “someone whose life included work and contributions that matter deeply to many people.”
Sen. Alex Padilla called the accusations “heartbreaking, horrific accounts of abuse.”
“I stand with the survivors, commend them for their bravery in sharing their stories and condemn the abhorrent actions they described,” Padilla said. “The survivors deserve to be heard. They deserve to be supported. They deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.”
Todd Guild is a reporter for The Pajaronian, a Weeklys publication based in Watsonville. A longer version of this story appears here.
