#cesar-chavez-allegations

#cesar-chavez-allegations

May Day has always been International Workers Day, and this year it is something more. On May 1, workers, students, and families across the country are going to march, rally, and in many cities, refuse business as usual entirely, no work, no school, no shopping, to show this country what it looks like when working people decide not to show up for the people who profit from our labor.

The farmworkers who feed all of us should be able to also feed themselves and their families with the wages they make. Instead, this administration is unlawfully cutting their wages and transferring billions from workers to employers. We need to do what is right for our farmworkers and stop these wage cuts.

For me, it's someone I've honored, respected, and followed. Growing up here in East Oakland, Chavez's organizing motivated many of us to not only speak out on behalf of our communities but to do the work...advocating for the humanity of not just farmworkers but those of us in the neighborhood.

"To me, it was always Brooklyn Avenue, and it will always be Brooklyn Avenue," Trammell said, emphasizing the enduring identity of the street despite its official renaming.

A steady stream of leaders from communities across the state said Wednesday they planned to reevaluate the numerous ways Chavez has been memorialized. Gov. Gavin Newsom said no decisions have been made at the state level regarding what to do about the typical observation of Cesar Chavez Day, but noted there's a sense of urgency as the March 31 holiday approaches.

Many like Wilcox are working to reconcile the legacy of a man who fought tirelessly for the rights of farmworkers with stunning allegations that he sexually abused girls and the co-founder of the United Farm Workers of America union, Dolores Huerta.

We have not received any direct reports, and we do not have any firsthand knowledge of these allegations, the UWF said in a statement on Tuesday. 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.

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. The union said in its statement that Chavez allegedly behaved in ways that are incompatible with our organization's values, and while some of the reports are family issues, there are more and significant allegations being made.

Homeowner Richard Segovia said the decision to remove Chavez's image came quickly. Segovia, who described himself as a longtime advocate for women and a supporter of young artists, said he contacted the muralist he works with immediately after a New York Times investigation detailed the allegations. UFW cofounder Dolores Huerta claims to be a survivor of Chavez's alleged abuse.

"I still can't quite believe it - that such a courageous person who fought for all of us to ensure we had shade, water, clean restrooms, better working conditions, that such a person, so dedicated to the people ... could do that," said García.

Huerta's disclosed to the New York Times that fellow Chicano civil rights icon Cesar Chavez raped her during the 1960s. It was part of a story that also interviewed two women who claimed the United Farm Workers co-founder sexually abused them when they were young teens in the 1970s.