Mi Nguyen
This editorial represents the opinions of 11 out of 14 Outlook editors.
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Cesar Chavez is primarily known for aiding in the leadership of the United Farm Workers movement, an organization that fought for the labor rights of agricultural workers. He was also a sexual abuser. According to information that came to light this March, Chavez raped Dolores Huerta and sexually abused multiple other women involved in the United Farm Workers movement. This includes young girls — Ana Murguia was 13 when Chavez began to molest her; Debra Rojas was 12. Chavez raped Rojas three years later, at 15 years old.
“It’s insane how something like this went silent for so long,” said senior Alisson Escobedo. “[The victims] were [too scared to say] what happened and to tell the world, because everybody had created this sort of [aura] around [Chavez] … [of this sort of] savior … He did so much for Mexican Americans.”
California in particular was the heart of the United Farm Workers movement, which can be seen through our state’s commemoration of Chavez in Cesar Chavez Day, alongside numerous streets, government signs, parades, murals and more dedicated to his memory. What is the best way, then, to commemorate Chavez’s work while still holding him accountable for his disgusting, predatory behaviors?
The Outlook supports the work the San Mateo Union High School District has already started. SMUHSD commemorated Dolores Huerta, and dedicated a day to her on April 10 with later festivities on the following day. The Outlook also recommends similarly changing the aforementioned street names, signs and murals. Further education about the United Farm Workers movement should be prioritized alongside pivoting its history away from highlighting Chavez.
Numerous other leaders, including Gilbert Padilla, Jessica Govea Thorbourne and Bert Cornona, also helped further the United Farm Workers movement. Though they may not have been as famous as Chavez, replacing memorials of Chavez with their names and education about their efforts serve to keep the movement’s history alive.
Others raise the proposition to rename all that previously honored Chavez for Dolores Huerta, who co-led the movement and herself came forward with allegations that Chavez sexually assaulted her. However, swapping everything named after Chavez with Huerta’s name falls into the same problem as casting Chavez as the only representative of the movement: honoring a single person for the work of thousands. We understand the power of naming and honoring individuals, but instead of focusing on a single one, naming those streets and community events after a variety of different leaders in the United Farm Workers movement would reflect the work of the many in the movement who were not rapists.
Furthermore, the Outlook and countless communities are concerned about lessons on the United Farm Workers movement being minimized as a sort of damage control. The movement, however, can be taught well without the focus on Chavez. California law also requires that public schools teach about the United Farm Workers movement, meaning that the sentiment will not be lost due to a single controversial link.
“We should learn about the movement and we should celebrate the movement,” said Advanced Placement U.S. History teacher Will Colglazier. “We can praise him for his ideas. So I support the removal of Cesar Chavez names. I don’t think that’s erasing history. That’s erasing who we want to praise and hold up to [as] a standard of aspiration.”
In Advanced Placement U.S. History classes and the Thomas Jefferson lesson, there are multiple discussions about his behavior as a slaveholder and his years of abuse and rape of Sally Hemings, a young girl who was enslaved by Jefferson. Instead of focusing entirely on one aspect of his legacy, educators instead teach about both through active class discussions, personal research and a socratic seminar discussing the removal of Jefferson’s statues. Similarly, a combination of uplifting other United Farm Workers movement leaders and still teaching about Chavez — both his successes and his grave failures — would serve the student body’s education.
