Two weeks from today is Cesar Chavez Day, a state holiday in several states including California. There are usually events held to celebrate the legacy of Chavez and the United Farm Workers union. However, this year the UFW has announced it will not be participating in any Chavez related events because of new allegations of "abuse of young women or minors." The UFW posted this explanation today. [Emphasis in original.]
The UFW has learned of deeply troubling allegations that one of the union’s co-founders, Cesar Chavez, behaved in ways that are incompatible with our organization’s values. Some of the reports are family issues, and not our story to tell or our place to comment on. Far more troubling are allegations involving abuse of young women or minors. Allegations that very young women or girls may have been victimized are crushing. We have not received any direct reports, and we do not have any firsthand knowledge of these allegations. However, the allegations are serious enough that we feel compelled to take urgent steps to learn more and provide space for people who may have been victimized to find support and to share their stories if that is what they choose.
The United Farm Workers will not be taking part in any Cesar Chavez Day activities.
Instead, we call on our allies and supporters to take part in immigration justice events and acts of service to support farmworkers or empower vulnerable people in their own communities.
Over the coming weeks, in partnership with experts in these kinds of processes, we are working to establish an external, confidential, independent channel for those who may have experienced harm caused by Cesar Chavez during the early days of the UFW’s history. This channel is for those who wish to share their experiences of harm, to identify their current impacts and needs, and, if desired, to participate in a collective process to develop mechanisms for repair and accountability.
The Cesar Chavez Foundation also made an announcement today referencing the same sort of allegations.
The Cesar Chavez Foundation has become aware of disturbing allegations that Cesar Chavez engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior with women and minors during his time as President of the United Farm Workers of America (UFW).
We are deeply shocked and saddened by what we are hearing.
The Foundation is working with leaders in the Farmworker Movement to be responsive to these allegations, support the people who may have been harmed by his actions, and ensure we are united and guided by our commitment to justice and community empowerment.
For those not familiar with Chavez, he founded the UFW in the 1960s and used strikes to push for better wages and conditions for migrant farm workers. Cesar Chavez day is a holiday in several states including Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas, but in California in particular his legacy is celebrated everywhere.
Cesar Chavez’s name is embedded across California’s civic landscape, reflecting decades of recognition for his role in the farmworker and labor movements. His name appears on public schools, parks, libraries, community centers and government buildings throughout the state, particularly in regions closely tied to agricultural labor and civil rights history.
Major California cities have also renamed prominent streets and corridors for Chavez, placing his legacy into everyday navigation and public life. Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, Fresno, Oakland and San Diego all have streets, boulevards or plazas that carry his name, many of them former major thoroughfares renamed through city council action.
In addition to schools and streets, Chavez is memorialized through parks, plazas and monuments that serve as gathering spaces and sites for commemorations. These locations are often used for Cesar Chavez Day events, labor rallies, educational programs and community celebrations tied to his legacy and the broader farmworker movement.
I can't tell you anything else about the actual allegations because those don't seem to be public. The fact that both the UFW and the Chavez Foundation released statements today suggests this was coordinated. The UFW statement says they don't have any firsthand knowledge, but it also says the allegations are very serious, which suggests this is coming to them second hand from somewhere. But where?
No doubt we're going to get a lot more about this in the coming days. This might be a situation where a major news outlet (LA Times? NY Times?) has been working on a major story about Chavez and that required contacting these groups connected to his legacy for comment. That heads up may have given the UFW time to get this response out before the story itself is published.
That's just a guess. We'll have to wait and see if a major story about these allegations appears sometime soon.
Update: Just found this and it confirms my suspicion. There is a major news story coming.
The family of the late César Chávez, a farmworker organizer who became a national civil rights icon, is at the center of a mounting crisis involving allegations that he engaged in sexual relationships with women and at least one minor, according to interviews with former insiders and a historian...
Multiple sources told the San Antonio Express-News that a report by a national news publication is expected in the coming weeks and may be driving the cancellations of marches and the response...
Matt Garcia, a historian at Dartmouth College and author of “From the Jaws of Victory: The Triumph and Tragedy of César Chávez and the Farm Worker Movement,” has documented internal conflicts within the United Farm Workers, including accounts of leadership disputes and allegations of misconduct...
“I’ve seen the allegations from at least one victim,” Garcia said. “There are more victims, I’m told.”
Garcia said the allegations surfaced among longtime participants in the movement who spoke out on a closed listserv.
There's more in the story linked above. It sounds like these stories have been circulating internally for a long time and now people have spoken to reporters and the story is finally coming out sometime soon.
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