EVERETT — Sexual abuse allegations against César Chávez have led to the cancellation or scaling back of observances for César Chávez Day, which is on March 31, across the country, including the lack of an official proclamation in Washington state this year.
“In light of the shocking allegations, the governor will not be issuing a proclamation honoring Cesar Chavez Day this year,” Governor Bob Ferguson released in a statement to KING5.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that his state will stop observing the holiday altogether and wants it removed from state law entirely.
United Farm Workers (UFW), co-founded by Chávez, called the claims from multiple women including UFW’s co-founder Dolores Huerta in a New York Times investigation “crushing,” “disturbing,” and “indefensible.” The organization announced it has canceled all César Chávez Day events and marches planned for March 31.
Others say the transformative gains won for migrant farm workers through a broad collective effort in the 1960s and 1970s will not be diminished by revelations about one of the movement’s most prominent leaders.
“The farmworker movement they helped build has always been about uplifting people—families, workers, and communities—not about any one individual. That mission must remain at the center of how we move forward,” Rep. Julio Cortes, D38-Everett, released in a statement on Facebook. “Dolores, I stand with you and honor the courage it takes to speak truth, and remain committed to the values of respect, accountability, and justice that define this movement at its best.”
A similar sentiment was shared by California Governor Gavin Newsom.
“Jen and I are very close to Dolores,” Gov. Newsome wrote to X. “So many of us are… for decades and decades… and none of us knew. The farm workers movement and labor movement are much bigger than one man — and we celebrate that and that will be our focus as we process what the next steps are. We’re for justice. We’re for truth. We’re for transparency. We will have the backs of these victims.”
The New York Times investigation detailed claims that Chávez groomed and sexually abused girls as young as 12 and 13 in the 1970s. Huerta also publicly accused Chávez of raping her multiple time in the 1960s resulting in two pregnancies—the children were given up for adoption.
The controversy arrives at a moment when Latino communities traditionally use the day to reflect on labor rights. But many leaders now call for a broader focus on the movement’s achievements rather than any one individual.
The farmer labor movement emerged from brutal conditions faced by farm workers, who were largely excluded from federal labor protections.
In the 1960s, predominantly Mexican and Filipino immigrants worked long hours in California’s fields for meager pay. They endured exposure to dangerous pesticides, lived in squalid housing and often saw their children labor beside them with no overtime or bargaining rights.
The spark came in September 1965 when Filipino organizer Larry Itliong led thousands of workers in the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee out on strike against Delano grape growers. Itliong turned to Chávez and Huerta’s National Farm Workers Association for support. The two groups soon merged to form the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee.
Together they launched a nationwide boycott of table grapes, known as the Delano Grape Strike and Boycott, that captured the nation’s attention. Supporters from churches, students and civil rights groups joined the cause. The pressure eventually forced growers to sign historic contracts that improved wages, introduced health benefits and restricted harmful pesticides.
Huerta, a mother of 11 children, played a central role as the union’s lead negotiator and lobbyist. She traveled the country building support and coined the rallying cry “Sí se puede” — “Yes, we can” — that became a mantra for the movement and beyond.
Philip Vera Cruz, another Filipino leader, served as UFW vice president and helped bridge communities. Jessie Lopez De La Cruz became the union’s first female recruiter, organizing women workers in the fields and camps.
Chávez emerged as the public face of the cause, using fasting, marches and nonviolent protest to draw attention. His leadership helped elevate farmworker issues into the national conversation. But from the beginning, the fight relied on many volunteers.
Although there have been many gains to working conditions, farm workers still face serious challenges, from extreme heat to wage theft and immigration barriers.
In Washington and around the country, some communities plan to use the coming weeks to honor the movement through service projects and discussions about ongoing labor issues rather than traditional celebrations.
In lieu of a proclamation for César Chávez Day, Gov. Ferguson looks forward to marking April 10 as Dolores Huerta Day.
“By honoring Dolores with Dolores Huerta Day, Washington state is not only recognizing her historic leadership but also lifting up all the strong women who were the backbone of the farmworker movement,” Snohomish PUD Commissioner Julieta Altamirano-Crosby wrote in a statement to the Lynnwood Times. “Their courage, vision and unwavering commitment delivered real change for migrant workers and continue to inspire us today.”
Huerta is the recipient of numerous awards for her community service and advocacy for workers’, immigrants’, and women’s rights including the Eugene v. Debs Foundation Outstanding American Award, the United States Presidential Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Human Rights, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States. She was the first Latina inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1993 and even has a day named after her in California – “Dolores Huerta Day” on April 10.
Back in April 2022, Huerta was the keynote speaker at an Edmonds School District student leadership conference with the focused theme “Becoming Leaders of Change.”
“A lot of young students will say to me I wish I would’ve been around in the 60’s because there was so much going on. You had the women’s movement, the environmental movement, the LGBTQ movement, the civil rights movement…well that was kind of the beginning. This is like the 60’s on steroids,” Huerta said to students. “Now it’s your turn to not only keep what we gained in the 60’s but to build on it and make it better.”
Author: Mario Lotmore
