Cities race to confront Cesar Chavez's legacy after assault claims

"The New York Times reported Wednesday that Chavez, who died in 1993, groomed and sexually abused young girls whose parents worked in the movement during the 1970s. The activist Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the National Farm Workers Association with Chavez, also told the Times that Chavez sexually assaulted her when she was an adult."

"We must continue to engage and support our community, which needs advocacy and activism now more than ever. Huerta, who is 95, said she is speaking out because of the new report. She condemned his actions but emphasized that the farmworker movement, which spawned the still-powerful United Farm Workers of America, is bigger than one person."

"Born in Yuma, Arizona, Chavez grew up in a Mexican American family that traveled around California picking lettuce, grapes, cotton and other seasonal crops. Many of the buildings named after him are in those states - including more than three dozen schools in California - and across the Southwest. But Chavez was honored with memorials across the country: statues, libraries, parks, stamps and even a U.S. Navy ship."

César Chavez, who died in 1993, was accused of grooming and sexually abusing young girls whose parents worked in the farm labor movement during the 1970s. Dolores Huerta, his co-founder of the National Farm Workers Association, also reported that Chavez sexually assaulted her as an adult. These revelations prompted immediate calls to rename numerous memorials dedicated to Chavez across the country, including schools, streets, parks, and statues. Chavez, born in Yuma, Arizona, grew up in a Mexican American family working seasonal crops in California. Memorials bearing his name exist nationwide, with over three dozen schools in California alone. Officials in multiple states are now reconsidering his legacy and addressing the renaming of these dedications.

Read at The Washington Post