Chicago Latino Leaders Outraged Over Allegations Against Cesar Chavez; School Renaming Debated in Back of the Yards

CHICAGO — Allegations of sexual misconduct involving César Chavez, a revered figure in civil rights and farm labor advocacy, have sent shockwaves through Chicago’s Latino community.

A comprehensive report by The New York Times has brought to light claims of prolonged abuse and grooming of young women and underage girls within the movement associated with Chavez.

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Community leaders have responded with disbelief and outrage.

The serious allegations against Chavez, who passed away in 1993, are prompting individuals and communities to reconsider his enduring legacy, now tainted by these accusations.

“Words fail me,” expressed Sylvia Puente, former CEO of the Latino Policy Forum. “The horror, the hypocrisy, the misogyny, and the abuse of power from someone once considered an icon are unbelievable.”

Chavez was revered in the labor movement as a civil rights champion for farm workers and immigrants in the 1970s.

Puente calls the Times investigation that uncovered the allegations against Chavez his moral death. And it’s personal for her, as her parents were farm workers who picked blueberries and apples.

“As a high school student, I picketed grocery stores. I went to marches. I worked with organizers. So it was very much my political and social formation, as well as my formation around justice and equity,” Puente said.

In Chicago, there are now questions about whether the school named after Chavez in the Back of the Yards neighborhood should be renamed.

At the Haymarket Memorial that commemorates labor struggles through the years, a plaque that honored Chavez is now covered over with black tape.

And in the Southport Corridor, a mural outside Cafe Tola honoring Chavez will be repainted with a picture of Dolores Huerta, according to the restaurant’s head of operations.

Huerta co-founded the National Farmworkers Association with Chavez in the 60s. She came forward after learning of the allegations others made about him.

Huerta, now 95, alleges Chavez pressured her to have sex with him in her 20s and later raped her, according to the Times.

“For me, I think it’s, it’s an opportunity to take a step back, reflect, take a deep breath and ask, how do we heal after the abuse? And how do we hold leaders such as César Chavez accountable?” said Angela Anderson Guerrero, president and CEO of Mujeres Latinas en Accion.

“Everything that’s named César Chavez, in my opinion, should be renamed Dolores Huerta. Or it should be the people’s movement of for justice and equity,” Puente said.

In a statement, a Chicago Public Schools spokesperson said, “District and school leaders work with faculty, staff, families and students to create inclusive and respectful school environments. Leadership at Cesar E. Chavez Multicultural Academic Center has begun the process of soliciting feedback from its school community on the decision to consider a school name change and will need to take any recommendation to its local school council for review as part of the comprehensive process that is detailed in Board policy here. If 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.”