Greg Abbott Announces Texas Won't Observe Cesar Chavez Day Due To Abuse Accusations

Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that the state won't observe Cesar Chavez Day following allegations of sexual abuse, including of minors, unearthed in a new report.

In a social media publication, Abbott said he directed all "Texas state agency heads to comply" and would work with state lawmakers "to remove Cesar Chavez Day from state law altogether." The holiday takes place on March 31.

"Reports of the horrific and widely acknowledged sexual assault allegations against Cesar Chavez rightfully dismantle the myth of this progressive hero and undermine the narrative that elevated Chavez as a figure worthy of official state celebration," the governor added.

The report in question, published by The New York Times, included testimony from pioneering labor leader and feminist activist Dolores Huerta, who accused Chavez of sexual abuse.

Huerta, now nearly 96, said she remained silent for decades but decided to speak publicly after learning that other women had also come forward with allegations against Chavez.

The investigation reports that multiple women, including two who said they were minors at the time, accused Chavez of sexual misconduct dating back to the 1960s and 1970s. The findings are based on interviews with more than 60 people, including former union members, relatives and aides, as well as a review of union records, emails and archival materials.

Huerta, a central figure in the farmworker movement and Chavez's longtime collaborator, told the newspaper that Chavez sexually assaulted her during the winter of 1966 in Delano, California. She said he drove her to a secluded grape field and raped her in a vehicle. Huerta, who was 36 at the time, said she did not report the incident because she feared the impact it could have on the movement and believed authorities would be hostile to union organizers.

In a statement later published on Medium, Huerta confirmed her account and explained her decision to speak publicly. "I have encouraged people to always use their voice," she wrote. "Following the New York Times' multi-year investigation into sexual misconduct by Cesar Chavez, I can no longer stay silent and must share my own experiences."

Huerta said she experienced two sexual encounters with Chavez in the 1960s. "The first time I was manipulated and pressured into having sex with him," she wrote. "The second time I was forced, against my will, and in an environment where I felt trapped." She said both encounters resulted in pregnancies and that she arranged for the children to be raised by other families.

Originally published on Latin Times