{"id":6835,"date":"2026-03-18T19:30:05","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T19:30:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/6835\/"},"modified":"2026-03-18T19:30:05","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T19:30:05","slug":"cesar-chavez-abused-girls-raped-labor-icon-dolores-huerta-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/6835\/","title":{"rendered":"Cesar Chavez abused girls, raped labor icon Dolores Huerta: report"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Cesar Chavez, the iconic labor leader, is accused of sexually assaulting two underage girls in the 1970s as well as fellow farmworker leader Dolores Huerta in the 1960s, according to an investigation from the New York Times.<\/a> <\/p>\n

The allegations have sparked public outcry from elected leaders and spurred a wider reckoning of a towering figure in California history \u2014 the namesake of many streets, parks and even a federal commemorative holiday. <\/p>\n

The New York Times interviewed two women who said they were sexually abused by Chavez \u2014 one repeatedly \u2014 when they were children.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth women have struggled with depression, panic attacks and substance abuse in the years since. They maintained their silence for decades, fearing speaking out would tarnish Mr. Chavez\u2019s legacy, but decided in recent months, after being approached by reporters, that their stories also counted,\u201d the paper reported.<\/p>\n

Huerta told the paper she was raped by Chavez in <\/a>a secluded grape field in Delano, Calif., in 1966.<\/p>\n

In an Instagram post<\/a>, Huerta said she kept the incident secret for 60 years because she believed \u201cexposing the truth would hurt the farmworker movement I have spent my entire life fighting for.\u201d <\/p>\n

In a statement to the Los Angeles Times, the Chavez family expressed their shock and sadness regarding the allegations. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs a family steeped in the values of equity and justice, we honor the voices of those who feel unheard and who report sexual abuse,\u201d the statement said. \u201cThis is deeply painful to our family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Huerta said she experienced two separate sexual encounters with Chavez. The first time, she was \u201cmanipulated and pressured into having sex with him,\u201d she said, and felt she couldn\u2019t say anything because he was her boss and the leader of a movement to which she was devoted.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe second time I was forced, against my will, and in an environment where I felt trapped,\u201d her statement said<\/a>. \u201cI had experienced abuse and sexual violence before, and I convinced myself these were incidents that I had to endure alone and in secret.\u201d<\/p>\n

Huerta became pregnant from both encounters and concealed her pregnancies by wearing baggy clothes and ponchos. She later arranged for the children, both girls, to be raised by other families, the New York Times reported. <\/p>\n

\u201cOver the years, I have been fortunate to develop a deep relationship with these children, who are now close to my other children, their siblings,\u201d her statement said. \u201cBut even then, no one knew the full truth about how they were conceived until just a few weeks ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

The New York Times\u2019 investigation found Chavez fathered four children out of wedlock with three women and that there had been \u201cwhispers within the movement\u201d for decades about his conduct.<\/p>\n

The paper reported that a handful of Chavez\u2019s relatives and former farmworker leaders have been aware of allegations of sexual misconduct for years but found no evidence that they made any efforts to investigate the accusations against him or acknowledge the victims. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs family members, we also carry our own memories of the person we knew \u2014 someone whose life included work and contributions that matter deeply to many people,\u201d the Chavez family statement said. \u201cWe hope that these conversations are approached with care, fairness, and compassion for everyone involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Huerta said in her statement that \u201cthe knowledge that he hurt young girls sickens me. My heart aches for everyone who suffered alone and in silence for years.\u201d <\/p>\n

Leaders from throughout California reacted with shock and outrage on Wednesday. <\/p>\n

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass released a statement honoring \u201cevery woman and girl horrifically harmed by those in power.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDolores and leaders like her inspired so many of us to activism,\u201d Bass\u2019 statement said. \u201cMr. Chavez\u2019s crimes do not diminish the courage of farm workers and workers everywhere who fight for their rights, equality for Latinos, and a stronger nation for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez said the devastation caused by the allegations is being felt by victims, their families and everyone inspired by Chavez\u2019s work. <\/p>\n

\u201cHonoring the broader movement for justice requires us to be honest about its history, even when that truth is painful,\u201d Rodriguez said. \u201cAccountability and compassion can coexist, and both are necessary to move forward with integrity.\u201d<\/p>\n

L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn said what matters now is listening and supporting the victims. <\/p>\n

Hahn also said she believes it\u2019s time to rename Cesar Chavez Day \u2014 observed annually on March 31 \u2014 to \u201cFarmworker Day\u201d in Los Angeles County. <\/p>\n

Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state will focus on honoring \u201ca farmworkers\u2019 movement and a labor movement that was much bigger than one man\u201d when deciding how to handle Caesar Chavez Day in California.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about the movement. It\u2019s about farmworkers. It\u2019s about labor. It\u2019s about social justice, economic justice, racial justice, all things that the movement has inspired and we should all be celebrating,\u201d he said Wednesday at an unrelated press conference in Alameda.<\/p>\n

The revelations came a day after the United Farm Workers <\/a>said it would not participate in celebrations of Chavez \u2014 its longtime leader \u2014 due to \u201ctroubling allegations\u201d against him, which it said \u201care incompatible with our organization\u2019s values.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAllegations 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,\u201d the union said.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday morning, the Cesar Chavez Foundation said it had become aware of \u201cdisturbing allegations\u201d that its namesake had \u201cengaged in inappropriate sexual behavior with women and minors during his time as President of the United Farm Workers of America.\u201d<\/p>\n

The foundation said it was working with leaders in the farmworker movement to be responsive to these allegations and support the people who might have been harmed.<\/p>\n

Bursting into national prominence in the mid-1960s in the San Joaquin Valley, Chavez galvanized public support on behalf of farmworkers after organizing community groups across Central and Southern California. For decades, agricultural laborers had lived in substandard housing and were paid terrible wages. Efforts to organize migrant laborers were usually crushed violently by farmers and local law enforcement.<\/p>\n

But Chavez\u2019s legacy became increasingly tarnished as the years went on. Labor victories became fewer and fewer. His fierce criticism of illegal immigration \u2014 Chavez argued that they undercut his unionization efforts \u2014 put him at odds with immigration activists. A 2006 L.A. Times investigation detailed<\/a> how dozens of former associates and workers left the UFW because of what they described as Chavez\u2019s increasingly autocratic ways.<\/p>\n

Chavez died in 1993.<\/p>\n

Arnoldo S. Torres, a political consultant who has spent decades working on immigration and agriculture legislation at the state and national level, was 10 years old and working as a seasonal farmworker when Chavez began organizing. He said he did not idolize Chavez after the leader went after undocumented migrants and encouraged people to report them to federal agents, but it was clear that Chavez became an intrinsic national figure for farmworker rights.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just a very, very sad day \u2014 just profoundly sad, all the way around,\u201d he said in an interview. \u201cIf any of this is true, my lord, how do you ever associate him with the moral high ground?\u201d<\/p>\n

With so few Latinos to idolize, Chavez\u2019s status was often fiercely protected, his image one of a national hero for farmworker rights and a champion of labor. <\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t say there was an element of disbelief because there has been talk in our community for a very, very long time that something like this was out there,\u201d Torres said Tuesday. \u201cBut many of us made a very conscious decision that it couldn\u2019t be true.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ana Padilla \u2014 the executive director of the UC Merced Community and Labor Center, which conducts research on farmworker communities \u2014 said Wednesday that the center \u201cis greatly saddened at the news of abuse at the hands of farmworker movement leader Cesar Chavez.\u201d<\/p>\n

Padilla said it was important to remember that the farmworker movement has always been about more than just Chavez. Today, decades after the movement began, farmworker-centered organizations and unions still play an important role in protecting workers against a modern system of oppression, she said. She praised the women and survivors \u201cwho made historic contributions in the shadows yet endured unimaginable harm.\u201d<\/p>\n

The allegations also raise the question about what, if any, repercussions the UFW or others could face.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though Chavez is deceased, we must find out if there were co-conspirators who aided and abetted the abuse,\u201d said Brian Claypool, one California\u2019s most experienced attorneys in sexual abuse of minors cases.<\/p>\n