Cesar Chavez, a farm worker, labor organizer and leader of the California grape strike, is seen in a California works office in 1965.
George Brich/ AP/AP
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George Brich/ AP/AP
Cesar Chavez, a prominent union leader and advocate for farmworker rights, has been accused of sexual abuse by two girls in the 1970s and Dolores Huerta, his co-founder in the United Farm Workers, back in the 1960s. These allegations were detailed in a report published by the New York Times.
The publication interviewed two women who claimed that Chavez began grooming and sexually abusing them during his presidency of the UFW. One woman alleged Chavez raped her in a motel room in 1975 when she was 15. The other stated she was groped by Chavez in his office when she was 13. Now in their 60s, both women were daughters of organizers in the farmworker movement.
While NPR has not independently verified these allegations, the New York Times conducted interviews with over 60 people and reviewed documents supporting the accusers’ claims.
Huerta, a noted labor leader who worked alongside Chavez, claimed he raped her in a car in 1966. She recounted to the Times that Chavez drove her to a secluded grape field in Delano, California, and forced her to have sex in the vehicle. Huerta did not report the incident at the time, fearing disbelief from within the union.
In a statement on Medium released Wednesday, Huerta revealed, “I am nearly 96 years old, and for the last 60 years have kept a secret because I believed that exposing the truth would hurt the farmworker movement I have spent my entire life fighting for.”
Huerta described two incidents with Chavez in the 1960s, stating, “The first time, I was manipulated and pressured into having sex with him, and I didn’t feel I could say no because he was someone that I admired, my boss, and the leader of the movement I had already devoted years of my life to. The second time I was forced, against my will, and in an environment where I felt trapped.”
Huerta further disclosed that both encounters resulted in pregnancies, which she kept secret. She arranged for the children to be raised by other families and has since grown close to them, although they only recently learned the full truth about their conception.
According to the Times, some individuals who were close to Chavez, including former bodyguards, have dismissed the allegations.
The United Farm Workers acknowledged these allegations a day after the report’s release, stating, “Allegations that very young women or girls may have been victimized are crushing.” The union seeks to learn more and support potential victims. It also announced its decision not to participate in Cesar Chavez Day events, celebrated annually on March 31, Chavez’s birthday.
The Cesar Chavez Foundation, involved in promoting his legacy, expressed shock and sadness over the allegations. The foundation committed to supporting the alleged victims and ensuring the movement remains focused on justice and community empowerment.
Chavez rose to national prominence in the 1960s through his efforts in organizing farmworkers for better wages and working conditions, notably through hunger strikes and a well-known boycott of California grapes. His legacy lives on, with numerous schools, community centers, and streets in the western United States bearing his name.
The response to these allegations has been swift. Planned celebrations in Chavez’s honor in California, Texas, and Arizona have been canceled or renamed. On social media, some voices within the Latino community call for murals of Chavez to be replaced, and for locations named after him to be renamed in honor of Huerta.
