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Institutions are distancing themselves from the Chicano labor leader following new allegations of sexual abuse involving girls.
Fresno State University will take down its Cesar E. Chavez Memorial Monument (1996) by Paul A. Suarez in response to serious sexual abuse allegations. (photo courtesy Fresno State University)
Amid serious sexual abuse allegations against Chicano civil rights leader Cesar Chávez, Fresno State University in California has decided to remove a monument dedicated to him from its campus.
This public university, situated near where Chávez led the farm workers movement in the 1960s, installed a statue honoring him in 1996. The bronze sculpture, crafted by Paul A. Suarez, has been featured alongside other figures of nonviolent movements like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., in the school’s Peace Garden.
The university’s decision to dismantle the monument comes as activists and organizations confront disturbing allegations first reported by the New York Times this week. Two women, Ana Murguia and Debra Rojas, who are now in their mid-sixties, have accused Chávez of sexually abusing them when they were teenagers. Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the influential United Farm Workers (UFW) with Chávez, has also accused him of rape, stating she became pregnant twice because of her encounters with him. Huerta disclosed these allegations in a powerful statement on Wednesday.
Following Fresno State University’s lead, other cultural institutions in the state, including the California Museum in Sacramento, have also committed to removing positive references to Chávez from public view.
In a letter to the university community, Fresno State University President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval stated that the bronze statue of Chávez would be covered until it is permanently removed. The statue is currently concealed by multiple wooden planks.
“These deeply troubling allegations concerning the rape of women and minors demand our full attention and moral responsibility, leading us to remove his statue from our campus,” the university president remarked.
Suarez, who designed the bronze bust of Chávez on display in former President Biden’s Oval Office, has not responded to repeated requests for comment.
For decades, Chávez’s image has represented the historic mobilization of farmworkers against exploitative growers in the 1960s. The UFW, which he co-founded, played a crucial role in securing significant legal protections for farmworkers seeking better working conditions. The legacy of the UFW has also greatly influenced the art, visual culture, and graphic heritage of the Chicano movement.
Thirty years after his passing, Chávez’s contentious name is displayed across schools, monuments, and roadways throughout the United States, prompting a reevaluation by institutions nationwide.
In her statement detailing the accusations against Chávez, Huerta emphasized that “the farmworker movement has always been larger and far more significant than any one individual.”
“Cesar’s actions do not diminish the lasting improvements achieved for farmworkers with the support of thousands,” Huerta wrote. “It is vital that we continue to engage and support our community, which needs advocacy and activism now more than ever.”
