California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill today to rename Cesar Chavez Day as Farmworkers Day. The move came just several days before the state holiday, which happens on March 31.
An extensive recently-published New York Times investigation, several years in the making, found evidence that Chavez, co-founder of the United Farmworkers (UFW), sexually abused girls. In the report, Dolores Huerta, who was a big part of building the Farmworkers movement, also revealed that Chavez raped her in the 1960s.
In Milpitas, there is an outdoor community area located east of the Barbara Lee Senior Center which was named Cesar Chavez Plaza by the City Council in 2017. It’s an area where many flag raisings, celebrations, and events have been hosted by the City over the years.
The Beat reached out to the City of Milpitas to ask if there was a plan in place to potentially rename the plaza.
The City responded by email, “At this time, the City has not made any decisions regarding changes to City facilities that identify with the César Chavez name. Any potential renaming will follow the City’s existing policies and will involve the City Facility Naming Subcommittee and the Milpitas City Council. We are actively evaluating the appropriate path forward.”
Photo by The Milpitas Beat.
Milpitas Mayor Carmen Montano, who is a former United Farmworkers member, spoke to The Beat of her memories from the time when she was a young girl, picking grapes in Delano.
She told The Beat, “As the mayor of Milpitas, and as someone deeply rooted in the strength and dignity of our community, I want to speak with care and honesty about recent reports involving Cesar Chavez and the courageous words shared by Dolores Huerta. Any account of harm, especially involving a young person, must be met first with compassion, respect, and a willingness to listen. I stand with Dolores Huerta in her courage to speak her truth. Survivors should never carry their stories alone. Their voices matter, and they deserve to be heard.”
Chavez’s name currently exists across many streets, parks, schools, and other facilities in the United States, especially in California, where the UFW movement originated. Some municipalities and communities are already in the process of removing Chavez’s name from monuments and locations.
In their statement, the City of Milpitas also added: “Importantly, while the allegations are serious, they do not diminish the broader contributions and collective efforts of the many individuals who advanced the Farm Workers labor movement. The City remains committed to recognizing and honoring that shared legacy while standing with survivors of abuse as we thoughtfully assess next steps.”
