Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson will skip honoring Cesar Chavez this year in light of abuse allegations revealed this week against the late renowned civil rights leader.
Choosing not to issue a proclamation to mark Cesar Chavez Day, Ferguson will instead celebrate April 10 as Dolores Huerta Day, according to his spokesperson Brionna Aho.
A New York Times investigation revealed allegations that he groomed and sexually abused girls from around 1972 to 1977, at a time when he had already been seen as a champion of farmworker rights. The report also included that Huerta, Chavez’s most prominent female ally with whom he and Gilbert Padilla cofounded United Farm Workers, told The Times he had forced her to have sex with him decades ago.
Chavez was one of the country’s most influential Latino leaders and a titan in the labor rights movement. Washington has honored the birth and legacy of the activist on March 31 as Cesar Chavez Day since 2018, when then-Governor Jay Inslee signed House Bill 1939. The day is recognized nationwide.
Farmworker rights advocates in Washington say they’re in shock over the allegations against a man who inspired them to activism in the first place.
The organizing tactics of the United Farm Workers — through major labor strikes, nationwide boycotts and a legendary march across California — continue to serve as a blueprint for farmworker rights groups in Washington and beyond, said Edgar Franks, political director for Familias Unidas por la Justicia, an independent labor union representing about 500 farmworkers in Skagit County.
“You’re almost at a loss for words because growing up, Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez are like, the icons you learn about in schools and textbooks,” Franks said. “Knowing everything you know right now, how can you still uplift someone like that?”
For decades, Chavez’s name and likeness have been attached to streets, parks, schools and more, including Cesar Chavez Park in Seattle’s South Park neighborhood.
The park — which is on land owned by King County and managed by Seattle Parks and Recreation — was dedicated in 2008. But the name has been associated with the site since at least 1997, according to Seattle Parks and Recreation spokesperson Christina Hirsch.
Under the city’s park naming policy, recreation facilities named after people should keep their name “unless it is found that, because of the individual’s character, the continued use of their name would not be in the best interest of the community.”
The city will connect with King County officials to discuss the park’s name “in partnership with the community,” Hirsch said. King County “is open to conversations” about changing the park’s name in light of the abuse allegations, executive office spokesperson Callie Craighead said in an email.
“Our leadership will work with Seattle Parks and Recreation to design a renaming process that is transparent, inclusive, and centers the voices of the community and survivors,” Craighead said.
Also in South Park is an affordable housing project called César Chávez Village, which is owned and operated by Sea Mar Community Health Centers.
The organization is aware of recent reports and is considering renaming its housing project and “reassessing how Cesar Chavez is represented within our spaces,” said executive director Rogelio Riojas in a statement.
“First and foremost, our concern is with the individuals who have come forward,” Riojas said in his statement. “We recognize the courage it takes to speak out, and our thoughts are with those who may have experienced harm.” No final decision has been made, but the organization expects to take action “in the near future.”
