On what would have been Cesar Chavez’s 99th birthday, a group of Hispanic business and civil rights leaders gathered in downtown Dallas to ask for any signs that bear his name to be taken down.
The call comes nearly two weeks after the New York Times published an article detailing years of alleged sexual harassment and abuse by Chavez, the leader of the United Farm Workers, including that he raped his UFW co-founder, Dolores Huerta.
"He committed these crimes,” said Diana Flores, the vice president of strategic indicatives at the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. “Accountability does not expire.”
Flores organized the news conference at Carpenter Park in downtown Dallas, near the corner of Cesar Chavez Boulevard and Central Expressway, “for the symbolism that this corner represents.”
“Every space, every street and building that carries his name must now carry the name of someone else or something else, but that honors our community,” she said.
Activists and community groups across Texas have made similar calls since the allegations came to light earlier this month.
Some Tarrant County leaders said the county should no longer observe Cesar Chavez Day, and Gov. Greg Abbott recently directed state agencies to stop observing the unofficial holiday on March 31. Abbott said he also plans to push to remove the holiday from state law altogether.
Hector Flores, the former national president for LULAC, said these conversations aren’t easy, but necessary.
“La verdad no mata, pero si incomoda,” he said — the truth won’t kill you, but it will make you uncomfortable.
At the conference, he specifically asked the city of Dallas to rename Cesar Chavez Boulevard to honor Huerta.
"What she gave to this country cannot and should not be diminished,” he said. “Her voice, her sacrifice, and her leadership has always mattered, and they matter even more now.”
Diana Flores noted that Chavez did not represent the thousands of farm workers who fought for labor rights.
“Do not erase us because he must be erased. Our contributions to this nation span its entire history,” she said. “Their victories, their successes belong to them alone. His crimes are not theirs to bear. His crimes are not ours to bear and they will never be.”
Priscilla Rice is KERA’s communities reporter. Got a tip? Email her at price@kera.org.
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