Communities across the United States are reckoning with new reporting from the New York Times detailing sexual abuse allegations against labor leader Cesar Chavez, who died in 1993.
Many institutions are instead turning their attention to Chavez’s longtime co-organizer, Dolores Huerta.
In North Texas, some communities have moved within the last month to reconsider Chavez’s name being attached to streets, holidays and cultural events. Some are opting to re-dedicate these local staples to Huerta.
Dallas named April 10 “Dolores Huerta Day” earlier this week and recommended a broader discussion on renaming Cesar Chavez Boulevard.
But Grand Prairie may have been ahead of the curve. The city renamed a portion of Second Street to Dolores Huerta Drive in 2022, which Huerta herself called “very, very powerful” in an interview at the time, posted by the City of Grand Prairie.
“Hopefully my name on the street will inspire people to really become activists and to really join the movement so that we can have a more just society,” Huerta said in the interview. “Sí se puede. Muchas gracias.”
City Council member John Lopez was part of the team that saw the dedication project go through.
He said it took only a few months to finalize the change, which saw an immediate positive reaction from Grand Prairie residents, around half of whom are Hispanic or Latino.
“We do have a lot of people that used to work in farms,” Lopez said in an interview with KERA. “A lot of people came from South Texas to move to Grand Prairie. So, seeing what they experienced and seeing how we're honoring some of their efforts back in the 70s and 60s was very resonant.”
Dolores Huerta Drive spans multiple blocks in the heart of the city, intersecting with Main Street and passing by both Grand Prairie City Hall and the Dallas County Government Center. It also runs alongside the famous Grand Prairie Farmers Market.
“We wanted to make sure we connect where she started from to where she is today, and connecting the Farmers Market to her name just made the best sense within our city,” Lopez said.
Huerta, who on April 10 turned 96 years old, first rose to fame in the 1960s and 70s while serving as a farmworker labor organizer alongside Cesar Chavez. She helped found the National Farm Workers Association, which merged with another organization to become the United Farm Workers of America.
Lopez lauded her achievements as an advocate.
“She wasn't just advocating solely [for] the farmworkers, but she took it beyond that,” he said. “She would go out there and advocate for the immigrant community. She would advocate for, make sure young women, young people participate in the voting process.”
But Huerta had long kept her experiences of sexual assault by co-organizer Chavez private. The allegations she chose to reveal emerged in a New York Times investigation that authors said took nearly five years to complete. Huerta, like others abused by Chavez, had chosen until that point to remain silent to protect the legacy of the movement they created together.
In the New York Times investigation, Huerta said she "struggles to reconcile" her memory of Chavez as both an inspirational figure and someone who degraded her.
She told the Times, “It’s kind of like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde situation.”
But Huerta, among other victims of Chavez’s abuse, told the paper the story of the farmworkers’ movement belongs to them, too.
Lopez said similarly that the movement is the product of more than a single leader.
“It took thousands of people standing up and fighting for farmers’ rights, and our committee – when they were making the selection – that's something we identified,” Lopez said.
During a meeting last month, the Grand Prairie City Council also moved their March 31 Cesar Chavez/Dolores Huerta city holiday to Dolores Huerta Day, celebrated on her birthday April 10. That change goes into effect next year.
Resources and counselors are available by calling 211 or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE.
Got a tip? Email Andy Lusk at alusk@kera.org.
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you!
