Huerta, co-founded a group with Chavez that later became the United Farm Workers (UFW). In her comments to the Times and separately statementThe 95-year-old described two separate encounters with Chavez that led to the pregnancy: “The first time I was manipulated and pressured into having sex with him… The second time I was forced, against my will, in an environment where I felt trapped.”
Murguia told The Times that Chavez molested her for four years, starting when she was 13 years old. Rojas said she was 12 years old when Chavez first groped her breasts in the same office where he abused Murguia. When Rojas was 15, he “arranged to have her stay in a hotel during a weeklong drive across California, she said, and had sex with her — and raped her, under state law, because she was not old enough to consent,” the newspaper reported.
The report sparked a wave of responses from labor groups, elected officials and others who expressed their support for survivors and emphasized it, as Guardian columnist Moira Donegan confirmed. books Friday, that “the rightness of the movement for the dignity of workers, for the rights and respect of Latinos, and for a future where there is more freedom and possibilities for the poor… cannot be tainted by Chavez’s behavior.”
UFW Foundation He said This week, “As a women-led organization that exists to empower communities, the allegations of abusive behavior by Cesar Chavez go against everything we stand for.”
The UFW Foundation called the alleged violations “shocking, indefensible and something we take very seriously,” and the UFW announced it had “cancelled all Cesar Chavez Day activities this month.”
California legislators They plan To rename Cesar Chavez Day, a public holiday observed on March 31, Agricultural Workers Day. Artists and officials began removing paintings, murals, and other memorials.
American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations President Liz Schuler and Treasurer Fred Redmond He said Wednesday that in light of “these horrific and disturbing allegations,” the AFL-CIO “will not participate in or endorse any upcoming activities marking Cesar Chavez Day.”
“The AFL-CIO will always stand in solidarity with farmworkers who have fought for and won critical rights over generations through teamwork, resilience and extraordinary determination — a history that cannot be erased by the horrific actions of one person.” The husband said. “The labor movement is organized not only to protect workers’ wages and benefits, but also to ensure their safety from any form of harassment, inappropriate behavior, or assault. Our commitment to safety and justice for farmworkers, migrant workers, and all those employed in our workplaces will never waver.”
Advocacy and labor leaders also stressed the importance of ensuring movements provide for their members. “We stand with you and take this opportunity to recommit to our work in supporting the community of farmworkers who toil in dangerous conditions, including prolonged exposure to extreme heat and deadly pesticides, while female farmworkers also continue to suffer alarmingly high rates of sexual assault,” Mark Magagna, Founding President and CEO of GreenLatinos, told Survivors.
“For our community, the movement for justice and dignity for farmworkers is much bigger than just one person,” Magaña continued. “At a time when our communities are under serious attack, GreenLatinos remain committed to this movement. ¡Sí, Se Puede!”
“Dolores Huerta, Ana Murguia and Debra Rojas show us what true courage looks like,” said Monica Simpson, executive director of SisterSong: a reproductive justice group for women of color. “For decades they kept the sexual abuse they endured secret because of the power Cesar Chavez had and his legacy within the labor and civil rights movements.”
“This kind of silence doesn’t come from just one person, it comes from systems and people in power who make women feel like speaking out will cost too much or threaten the very movement they helped build,” Simpson said. “We stand with Dolores Huerta, Ana Murguía, Debra Rojas, and all survivors. We are committed to building movements where no one has to endure hurt or abuse in silence just to keep the work going. Our movements are bigger than one person, they belong to the people who build and support them. We have a responsibility to protect each other so that everyone can feel safe within. This means choosing people over power and legacy, and creating spaces where safety, care, accountability, and dignity are the foundation of the work.”
The revelations about Chavez come as President Donald Trump’s administration pursues its mass deportation agenda and amid a struggle to achieve justice for the survivors of Trump’s former friend and convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. Members of Congress continue to demand the Epstein files that it has withheld or substantially withheld from the US Department of Justice.
U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) said the reports on Chavez are “shocking and disappointing about a leader I have looked up to for many years, like many Latinos growing up in the United States. But as I have said many times this year — no one, no matter how powerful, is above accountability, especially when it comes to the abuse of young women.”
“The farmworker movement has always been bigger than any one man,” declared Gallego, who represents the state where Chavez was born. “It belongs to the thousands of hard-working people who have spent decades on the front lines fighting for the dignity of agricultural workers. We must continue this fight, especially now, when our community is under constant attack.”
Gallego also acknowledged the “incredible courage of the women who came forward,” as did Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA), who asserted that “abuse, exploitation and silencing of victims must never be tolerated, regardless of who is involved.”
“Facing painful truths and ensuring accountability is essential to respecting the same values that the greater farmworker movement stands for — values rooted in dignity and justice for all,” Padilla added.
Democratic Women’s Caucus President Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.) said, “The farmworker and civil rights movement was built by countless people — especially women and families who sacrificed everything for a better future. This history is bigger than any one person. Honoring this legacy means confronting painful truths and continuing to work for justice with honesty and humanity.”
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus said that “while it is shocking that leaders have been exposed as unforgivably flawed, a just society has a duty to hold abusers accountable without exception.”
“The movement is based on its values, not on the misconduct of any individual,” the committee said. “The strength of the movement is determined by its voters, by its achievements, and, yes, by its willingness to hold its leaders accountable.” “We will always support the farmworkers who feed this nation, enrich our culture, and elevate our values. We applaud the UAW’s courage in standing with its constituents.”
“We are committed to working to rename streets, post offices, ships and holidays named after Chavez to honor our community and the farmworkers whose struggle defined the movement,” the group added, noting that on March 31, it will “recognize and honor farmworkers and their hard and essential work, and reaffirm our unequivocal commitment to survival.”
US National Domestic Violence Hotline He can be reached at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), by texting “START” to 88788, or by chatting at thehotline.org. It offers confidential and free support 24/7. DomesticShelters.org He has existing From global and national resources.
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