SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he supports a proposal to rename César Chavez Day as Farmworkers Day following stunning allegations of abuse against the revered labor leader.
Political leaders in states and cities are considering similar moves after the allegations became public, accusing Chavez of sexually abusing girls and the co-founder of the United Farm Workers of America union, Dolores Huerta, decades ago.
There also have been calls to alter memorials honoring the man who in the 1960s helped secure better wages and working conditions for farmworkers and had been admired by many Democratic leaders.
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson’s office said Thursday that he won’t issue a proclamation honoring César Chavez Day this year while Denver officials plan to rename their annual celebration. Events in Texas and in his home state of Arizona have been canceled at the request of the César Chavez Foundation.
In 2000, California became the first state to designate Chavez’s birthday as a holiday. Schools were required to teach students about his involvement in the labor movement in California. Chavez died in California in 1993 at age 66.
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón, the leaders of the California Legislature, said Thursday they would pass a bill renaming the holiday before the end of the month. The legislation would need Newsom’s approval.
Advocates grapple with Chavez’s legacy
Latino leaders and community groups quickly condemned the alleged abuse by Chavez but emphasized that the farmworker movement was never about one person.
Mary Rose Wilcox and her husband marched alongside Chavez, helped him open a radio station in Phoenix and plastered their Mexican restaurant with his photos and a mural.
By Wednesday morning, they had taken down Chavez’s photos and were making plans to cover the mural.
“We love César Chavez. But we cannot honor him and we cannot even love him anymore,” said the former Phoenix City Co …