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Just like that, San Francisco removes statue of Cesar Chavez

March 20, 2026 | | Print Article

The #MeToo movement has claimed prominent labor rights leader Cesar Chavez, as seen when the very liberal city of San Francisco removed a statue of Chavez, joining with other cities in removing his name and presence from streets, parks, and holidays.

Chavez has been accused of sexually abusing girls and women in the 1960s and 1970s while leading the farmworkers’ union movement. Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which became the United Farm Workers of America, with Chavez, claimed this week that he coerced her into having sex with him once and, on another occasion, that he raped her.

“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,” Huerta said in a statement. “The second time I was forced, against my will, and in an environment where I felt trapped.”

Both sexual encounters led to pregnancies, according to Huerta, who said she made arrangements for the children to be raised by other families “who could give them stable lives.”

Huerta was married twice and has 11 children with multiple partners, including four children with Chavez’s brother, Richard, to whom she was not married.

Two other women also made allegations against Chavez, according to The New York Times, saying they were 12 and 13 when he first molested them.

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“The knowledge that he hurt young girls sickens me. My heart aches for everyone who suffered alone and in silence for years,” said Huerta, who kept the sexual abuse secret.

Chavez, who died in 1993 at age 66, was renowned for fighting for the rights of farmworkers. He took a hardline stance against illegal immigration during the 1960s and 70s, viewing it as a tool for growers to break strikes and depress wages.

Democrats in California have announced they are going to rename César Chavez Day as Farmworkers Day as a result of the allegations, and the California Museum has also announced that it will take the unprecedented step of removing Chavez from the state’s Hall of Fame.

Social media users suggested that Chavez’s real crime, in the eyes of Democrats, may be that he opposed open borders — here’s a quick sampling of responses to the story, as seen on X:

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Tom Tillison
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