As sexual abuse allegations continue to pile up against late labor leader César Chávez, some voices online are calling on San Antonio rename the major downtown thoroughfare that bears his name.
On Wednesday, National Farm Workers Association (later United Farm Workers) co-founder Dolores Huerta released a statement accusing her longtime collaborator of raping her on two separate occasions, producing two unwanted pregnancies. Her shocking accusation followed acknowledgements Tuesday by the César Chávez Foundation and United Farm Workers of “disturbing” abuse allegations against the famed Chicano leader.
“As a young mother in the 1960s, I experienced two separate sexual encounters with César,” Huerta said in her historic Wednesday statement, shared to Facebook and Instagram. “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.”
In light of the mounting allegations, some voices online are calling to rename César Chávez Boulevard, which runs through central San Antonio.
“Join me in demanding all César Chávez streets in Bexar County be renamed to honor Dolores Huerta,” Texas State Rep. Josey Garcia, D-San Antonio, said in a Facebook post, resharing Huerta’s statement. “We stand against predators and uplift victims of his sexual abuse.”
“Change them all to Dolores Huerta Dr.” said a Facebook post by 7th Poet Laureate of San Antonio Eddie Vega. “They should’ve been named that all along.”
Other people posting online called for César Chávez Boulevard to revert back to its longtime name of Durango Boulevard. The street was renamed in honor of Chávez in 2011, costing the city $100,000, KENS 5 reported at the time. The renaming also led to additional expenses and hassle for local businesses who were forced to replace signage, stationary and the like to reflect their new address. As the thoroughfare bisects much of the center city, numerous businesses were affected by the change.
As such, the change faced challenges, including a court battle.
Despite the opposition, then-city councilman Phil Cortez led the charge to rename the street, saying the change was “long overdue.”
“He is an American hero,” Cortez said, according to a MySA report. “I think it’s a fitting way to honor him.”
Legacy tarnished
Cities throughout the country have streets named after the labor leader and Latino civil rights icon. Those included Houston, Dallas, Austin, Los Angeles, Chicago and Denver.
While Chávez became a hero of the labor and Chicano movements for leading boycotts to improve working conditions for migrant farmworkers, Huerta was often overshadowed by his legacy.
Huerta said Wednesday that she kept both the alleged acts of sexual violence by Chávez and their resultant pregnancies quiet. The legendary activist, who is known to be anti-abortion, decided to keep her pregnancies but give up the babies once they were born.
“I had experienced abuse and sexual violence before, and I convinced myself these were incidents that I had to endure alone and in secret. Both sexual encounters with César led to pregnancies,” Huerta continued. “I chose to keep my pregnancies secret and, after the children were born, I arranged for them to be raised by other families that could give them stable lives.”
However, Huerta said she was willing to make the sacrifice for the cause of organizing farm workers against industry exploitation.
“I carried this secret for as long as I did because building the movement and securing farmworker rights was my life’s work,” Huerta added. “The formation of a union was the only vehicle to accomplish and secure those rights, and I wasn’t going to let César or anyone else get in the way.”
Huerta asserted that the movement is bigger than any individual. Nonetheless, she said that when she found out that the New York Times had become aware of other purported victims, at least one underage, she decided it was finally time to speak.
“I have kept this secret long enough,” Huerta stated. “My silence ends here.”
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