Cesar Chavez celebrations in several places were halted as the United Farm Workers said troubling allegations concerning “abuse of young women or minors” were concerning enough to pause the usual commemorations tied to the labor leader. In a statement Tuesday, the union urged people around the country to participate in immigration justice events or acts of service instead of the typical March events that mark Chavez’s legacy.
The union said it was acting despite not having received direct reports, saying it has not received any direct reports of abuse and does not have firsthand knowledge of the allegations. “Some of the reports are family issues, and not our story to tell or our place to comment on,” the union said. Neither the United Farm Workers nor the Cesar Chavez Foundation responded to requests from The Associated Press for further comment.
According to the report, several Chavez celebrations in San Francisco, Texas and Chavez’s home state of Arizona were canceled at the request of the foundation. Organizers of the canceled events did not immediately respond to AP’s requests for comment.
The United Farm Workers said the circumstances required time and care, adding that “These allegations have been profoundly shocking” and that it needed “some time to get this right, including to ensure robust, trauma-informed services are available to those who may need it.” The union also said that it was urging people to shift away from standard commemorations toward activities tied to immigration justice.
The foundation’s request to cancel events reflected its own statement that it had become aware of disturbing allegations about Chavez during his time as president of the union. Both groups said they were working to set up ways for anyone who might have been harmed to share experiences confidentially.
Chavez’s birthday, March 31, has long been marked as a day commemorating the labor leader, with California the first state to establish it. The report said that others followed, and that in 2014 then-President Barack Obama proclaimed March 31 as national Cesar Chavez Day, urging Americans to honor Chavez’s legacy.
Chavez grew up in a Mexican-American family that traveled around California picking seasonal crops, according to AP, and he died in California in 1993 at age 66. He became known for early field organizing, a hunger strike and a grape boycott, and for an eventual effort to push growers to negotiate with farmworkers for better wages and working conditions.
The United Farm Workers traces part of its origin to Chavez and Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the National Farm Workers Association in 1962, later becoming the United Farm Workers of America. AP also described the conditions Chavez protested, including poor pay and limited sanitation in fields, as part of the labor organizing that helped shape his legacy.