States are scrambling to distance themselves from Cesar Chavez after a stunning investigation revealed allegations of sexual abuse against the late labor leader and civil rights icon.
Leaders in Arizona and California — both of which observed Cesar Chavez Day — signaled a willingness to reconsider their state’s longstanding tributes to Chavez, who died in 1993.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said her office would no longer recognize the holiday for Chavez, which was typically celebrated on March 31 — his birthday.
“The Governor’s Office is deeply concerned by the troubling allegations against César Chávez,” a spokesperson for the Democrat said in a statement. “As a social worker who worked with homeless youth and victims of domestic violence, Governor Hobbs takes allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior against women and minors very seriously.”
Chavez was an iconic labor leader in California, who garnered international attention for rallying for farmworker rights. At least a half-dozen states have some level of recognition of Chavez’s birthday, and there are countless schools, roads and other monuments dedicated to him across the country.
The New York Times spoke with two women who said they were sexually abused by Chavez when they were minors and he was president of the United Farm Workers, which he co-founded alongside Dolores Huerta in the 1960s.
A statement released Wednesday from Huerta also said that she had two sexual encounters with Chavez, where she felt “manipulated and pressured” and “forced, against my will, and in an environment where I felt trapped.” Both, she said, led to pregnancies, which she kept secret “because building the movement and securing farmworker rights was my life’s work.”
POLITICO has not independently corroborated the claims, but a statement from the United Farm Workers called the allegations of sexual abuse “shocking” and “indefensible” and moved to cancel all Cesar Chavez Day events this month.
“As a women-led organization that exists to empower communities, the allegations about abusive behavior by Cesar Chavez go against everything that we stand for,” the union said. They also denied having any firsthand knowledge of the allegations.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said he was still “processing” the news at an unrelated press conference on Wednesday, telling reporters it has been “hard to absorb.”
While Newsom did not directly confirm whether or not the state would move to cancel its holiday, he signaled openness to rebranding Cesar Chavez Day to more broadly honor the farmworker movement, and said staff-level conversations were already happening.
“All options are being thoughtfully considered in response to the allegations of sexual violence involving Cesar Chavez, including the possibility of renaming the state holiday," California Assemblymember Mark González, a Democrat, said in a statement. “I am in ongoing conversations with the Latino Caucus as we continue to explore the appropriate path forward.”
Other federal and state lawmakers also expressed alarm. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) called for Chavez’s name to be removed from public honors.
“His name should be removed from landmarks, institutions, and honors. We cannot celebrate someone who carried out such disturbing harm,” Luján said on X, calling the allegations “horrific.”
And the Mexican American Legislative Caucus in the Texas state House said it was “prepared to lead efforts” to remove the public holiday in the state celebrating Chavez “and replace it with recognition that uplift leaders like Dolores Huerta.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, said he was directing state agencies to not observe the holiday and that he will work with lawmakers to remove it from state law.
He said the allegations “dismantle the myth of this progressive hero and undermine the narrative that elevated Chavez as a figure worthy of official state celebration.”
via Politics, Policy, Political News Top Stories https://ift.tt/gQJHyto
