Lawmakers are rethinking legislation that seeks to further honor the late activist César Chávez after sexual misconduct allegations surfaced decades after his death.
President Barack Obama in 2012 created the César E. Chávez National Monument in Keene, California, and lawmakers have been wanting to turn the site into a national historic park. Those plans will now change.
The “César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park Act,” introduced as H.R. 2520 and S. 1215, would have included the monument along with sites elsewhere in California and Arizona.
The legislation — from Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.) and Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) — also called for a study to create the “Farmworker Peregrinación National Historic Trail,” marking a 300-mile march that occurred in 1966.
“As the lead sponsor in House of the César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park Act, Congressman Ruiz will take steps to rename and revise the legislation in honor of farmworkers both to respect the victims and to serve as an initial step toward accountability,” a Ruiz aide said.
In a statement, Padilla condemned the “abhorrent actions” described by victims. “There must be zero tolerance for abuse, exploitation, and the silencing of victims, no matter who is involved. Confronting painful truths and ensuring accountability is essential to honoring the very values the greater farm worker movement stands for — values rooted in dignity and justice for all,” he said.
Padilla’s office added that the senator supports the removal of Chávez’s name from any landmarks, institutions or honors, and plans to rework the Senate version of the legislation.
A New York Times story this week detailed allegations that Chávez sexually assaulted women and girls, including Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers union with him. The 187-acre monument site includes the union headquarters.
Dennis Arguelles, the Southern California director of the National Parks Conservation Association, called the allegations against Chávez “deeply disturbing” but noted that the national monument is not about a “single person.”
“For many years, NPCA supported a national park site — the current national monument as well as a proposal that would include sites in several western states — that would honor the farmworker movement and those who fought for dignity, better working conditions, and fair wages,” Arguelles said in a statement. “This movement, which the National Park Service found to be nationally significant history, is not about a single person.”
He said the site, “the first to recognize contemporary Latinos, plays a critical role in ensuring that our country’s diversity and complex stories are shared.”
The Chávez family said in a statement Wednesday that New York Times reporting was “deeply painful” and asked for privacy as they grapple with it.
“We wish peace and healing to the survivors and commend their courage to come forward,” said the statement. “We carry our own memories of the person we knew. Someone whose life included work and contributions that matter deeply to many people. We remain committed to farmworkers and the causes he and countless others championed.”
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus issued a statement on social media calling Chávez “flawed beyond absolution.” The caucus, a bicameral group of 43 Democrats, vowed to work to rename “streets, post offices, vessels and holidays” that honor Chávez.
“A movement stands on its values, not the misconduct of one individual,” the CHC statement reads. “This March 31, CHC members will recognize and honor farmworkers and their arduous, essential work, and reaffirm our unequivocal commitment to survivors and all who have been impacted at this time.”
Heather Richards contributed to this report.
