It\u2019s no different in Chicago, where Chavez \u2014 who was, for decades, a major figure in the farmers rights movement and an inspiration for Latino Americans \u2014\u00a0has been honored with plaques, murals and in the name of a Pilsen post office and a Back of the Yards school.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would be setting a [bad] precedent, allowing someone who did a lot of good to be honored even as we now know they did such atrocious things,\u201d said Rosalba Contreras, a Back of the Yards neighbor and mother of an eighth-grade student at Cesar E. Chavez Multicultural Academic Center.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_5841.jpg\")
The Cesar E. Chavez Post Office is located in Pilsen, a majority-Hispanic neighborhood. Credit: Mauricio Pe\u00f1a\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n
Renaming To Avoid Added Trauma<\/p>\n
On the Southwest Side, school leaders at Cesar E. Chavez Multicultural Academic Center,<\/a> 4747 S. Marshfield Ave., \u201chave begun gathering feedback on whether the school should be renamed,\u201d a Chicago Public Schools spokesperson said in an emailed statement Thursday.<\/p>\n The accusations against Chavez have left parents, current and former students and organizers shocked, confused and feeling like they\u2019ve been lied to about someone who has been idolized and honored, they said. They do not believe the school should be named after someone who abused girls as young as some of the students who walk its hallways.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, local nonprofit Increase the Peace called on the Chicago Board of Education to start a community process to rename the school. The group, which serves young people in the neighborhood and fosters civic participation, said public institutions and spaces must reflect the values they strive to uphold \u2014 and keeping Chavez\u2019s name sends the wrong message to young people.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is that going to tell the young woman currently enrolled in the school \u2014 that it\u2019s OK to have that name as the school name? I don\u2019t think that is fair because then that\u2019s just brushing aside the fact that it did happen,\u201d said Evelyn Aguayo, community organizer and legal aid liaison for Increase The Peace. Her 13-year-old sister attends the school.<\/p>\n Parents and young organizers said they would like to be involved in a process for choosing a new name that reflects the values of the school community and considers students\u2019 and parents\u2019 feedback. They would also like to see educators and staff help students process the news and reckon with how their school and many of its spaces honor Chavez.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving walked through a building that has idolized a person as much as him and knowing these current allegations now is very upsetting, to say the least, and traumatizing for some,\u201d said Jesse Cisneros, a graduate of Chavez and civic fellow volunteer for Increase The Peace.<\/p>\n According to CPS policy, once a decision is made on changing a school\u2019s name, the change must be reviewed and approved by the local school council. It must then be approved by the CPS network chief and the Board of Education, according to the policy<\/a>. In 2024, three CPS schools changed their names after following this process.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the Cesar E. Chavez Multicultural Academic Center does initiate a name change, it will go through this open and public process to ensure that a new school name represents the values of its school community,\u201d according to CPS\u2019 statement.<\/p>\n Nonprofit Peace in Pilsen is similarly pushing to rename the Cesar E. Chavez post office, 1859 S. Ashland Ave., said founder Leonardo Quintero.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26077693790850-1024x683.jpg\")
A plaque dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the passing of Cesar Chavez, honoring Chavez and Sister Dolores Huerta, is part of the Haymarket Memorial, seen Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in Chicago. Credit: AP Photo\/Erin Hooley<\/p>\n