Cesar Chavez, the revered labor leader who became a symbol of justice for American farmworkers, has been accused of decades of sexual abuse — including allegations from his closest collaborator that he raped her and fathered two children she kept secret for more than half a century.
Dolores Huerta, 95, who co-founded the United Farm Workers union with Chavez in 1962, said in a statement that Chavez “manipulated and pressured” her into sex in the 1960s, and on another occasion forced her. The encounters resulted in two pregnancies that she concealed, arranging for the children to be raised by other families.
“I carried this secret for as long as I did because building the movement and securing farmworker rights was my life’s work,” Huerta said.
The allegations come from a multi-year New York Times investigation published Wednesday, which interviewed more than 60 people and detailed accounts from Huerta and two other women who said Chavez groomed and sexually abused them when they were girls involved in the labor movement during the 1960s and 1970s.
‘He Groomed Her Well’
Ana Murguia and Debra Rojas, both 66, told the Times that Chavez sexually abused them for years starting around 1972, when they were girls, and he was in his 40s. Murguia was 12 when the abuse began, she said. Rojas was 13.
“Ana Murguia cried in an interview as she recalled how the abuse escalated and how, at 17, she agreed to have sex with him. He groomed her well, she said,” the Times reported.
The woman said the abuse continued until approximately 1977.
The Chavez Response
Chávez died in 1993 at age 66. His family issued a statement expressing devastation and praising the women’s courage.
“We are devastated by the reports published today regarding our father, Cesar Chavez. We commend the women for their courage to come forward,” the family said.
The Cesar Chavez Foundation said it was “deeply shocked and saddened” by the “disturbing allegations” and was working with Farmworker Movement leaders to be responsive to these allegations and support those who may have been harmed.
The United Farm Workers union said it was canceling its participation in Cesar Chavez Day celebrations and noted that it had “not received any direct reports” and “does not have any firsthand knowledge” of the allegations.
The Legacy Under Siege
Cesar Chavez Day, a commemorative holiday observed on March 31 in California and several other states, is now under threat. Multiple events have been canceled or renamed.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said the farm workers movement and labor movement “are much bigger than one man,” and that he stands with “the courageous women” like Huerta. At a separate event, he said he was open to renaming Cesar Chavez Day.
Republican Assemblywoman Alexandra Macedo of California has filed legislation to change the holiday’s name to Farmworker Day.
Texas and Arizona, which also recognize the holiday, are facing pressure to follow suit. A Texas state senator has called for the removal of Chavez’s name from schools and parks.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass demanded sustained action. “The sickening reality is that what Dolores, Ana, and Debra endured is not isolated, nor is it of the past,” she said.
The League of United Latin American Citizens, the nation’s oldest Latino civil rights organization, issued a forceful statement: “No individual, regardless of stature or legacy, is above accountability when it comes to protecting and upholding the dignity of others”.
The Man and the Movement
Chavez rose to national prominence in the 1960s and 1970s, organizing California’s farmworkers into a powerful labor movement that won historic contracts, led national boycotts of grapes and lettuce, and marched hundreds of miles to draw attention to working conditions. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994.
His image — a stooped, weathered man in a plaid shirt, bearing the weight of a movement — became an icon of American civil rights. Schools, parks, libraries, and streets bear his name across the country.
Now that legacy faces its most serious test.
What Comes Next
The Cesar Chavez Foundation has not announced specific actions, but said it is working with movement leaders to determine next steps. Calls to remove Chavez’s name from public institutions are likely to intensify as more details emerge.
For Huerta, Murguia, and Rojas, the decades-long silence has ended. For a movement built on the principle that all people deserve dignity and respect, the reckoning has just begun.
