Sexual abuse allegations against the revered labor leader César Chavez have led to a swift fallout, leaving many to reconcile the legacy of a man who fought tirelessly for the rights of farmworkers. Latino leaders and community leaders have quickly condemned the alleged abuse by Chavez.
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Here’s what that could mean for the MideastCorn tortillas in California now must contain folic acid. More states are looking at itWorries about flying seem to be taking off. Here's how to cope with in-flight anxietyJury finds Instagram and YouTube liable in a landmark social media addiction trialDo-it-yourself projects can save money and build confidence, or do the oppositeEl papa León XIV rechaza en Domingo de Ramos las afirmaciones de que Dios justifica la guerraEl papa León XIV rechaza en Domingo de Ramos las afirmaciones de que Dios justifica la guerraRace and EthnicityCity workers remove a bust of César Chavez at César E. Chavez Park in Denver on Thursday, March 19, 2026. Workers cover a mural by Emigdio Vasquez featuring Cesar Chavez and other figures at Santa Ana College in Santa Ana, Calif., Thursday, March 19, 2026. A student looks toward a plywood box covering a statue of César Chavez at California State University, Fresno in Fresno, Calif., Wednesday, March 18, 2026. City workers remove a bust of César Chavez at César E. Chavez Park in Denver on Thursday, March 19, 2026. City workers remove a bust of César Chavez at César E. Chavez Park in Denver on Thursday, March 19, 2026. Workers cover a mural by Emigdio Vasquez featuring Cesar Chavez and other figures at Santa Ana College in Santa Ana, Calif., Thursday, March 19, 2026. Workers cover a mural by Emigdio Vasquez featuring Cesar Chavez and other figures at Santa Ana College in Santa Ana, Calif., Thursday, March 19, 2026. A student looks toward a plywood box covering a statue of César Chavez at California State University, Fresno in Fresno, Calif., Wednesday, March 18, 2026. A student looks toward a plywood box covering a statue of César Chavez at California State University, Fresno in Fresno, Calif., Wednesday, March 18, 2026. for more than 35 years, hanging it on the wall of his law office in Yuma, Arizona. As a young man, he was moved by Chavez and helped organize workers before joining his security team. “I’m trying to figure out how emotionally and intellectually I’ll be able to understand my perception of him as an extremely good man,” Bustamante said, his voice heavy with emotion, “compared to these things that are said he did.”— he co-founded the United Farm Workers union, led a hunger strike, a grape boycott with Filipino farmworkers, and eventually pressured growers to negotiate better wages and working conditions for Mexican American farmworkers. Nearly two weeks after a New York Times report detailing allegations of sexual abuse, communities and rights groups across the country are still figuring out how he should be remembered.Bustamante said he learned of the allegations when an old friend called to tell him about the upcoming report. What flashed through his mind, he said, were the faces of others who had known and admired Chavez, and “how their eyes would be devastated.” “We were looked down upon by society, we were Mexicans,” Bustamante said, recalling the first time he saw Chavez speak outside the Arizona Capitol in 1972 as he launched a hunger strike. He “gave us worth, and for young people that was everything.” Now, some of Bustamante’s friends have taken down images of Chavez. In his community, Bustamante likened it to denouncing Catholicism and removing photos of the pope.Teresa Romero, president of United Farm Workers, said the contradiction between the Chavez’s legacy and the allegations is unavoidable. “We have in one hand César Chavez, the man who committed horrible acts that we’re not going to justify,” Romero said. “On the other hand, we have César Chavez, the organizer who brought thousands and thousands of people together to be able to work for farm workers, and improve their lives and working conditions.”Sehila Mota Casper, executive director of Latinos in Heritage Conservation, said the farmworker movement was always driven by collective effort. “The rights and protections that came from it belongs to the people that built it,” she said. “It wasn’t just one individual.” That perspective, she said, offers a way to move forward: recognizing Chavez’s role without letting it overshadow the contributions of others, including Huerta, and the challenges they faced. Advocacy groups like the nonprofit Voto Latino took a similar stance, saying, “The women who organized, marched, and sacrificed alongside farmworkers carried this movement on their backs.”Political leaders from both parties have condemned the alleged abuse. Some Republicans, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, cited it as part of a broader criticism of Chavez’s progressive legacy. Abbot said Texas — a state with dozens of Confederate monuments — would no longer celebrate César Chavez Day, saying the allegations “undermine the narrative that elevated Chavez as a figure worthy of official state celebration.” At the same time, groups like the nonpartisan Latino Victory Project, which focuses on developing Hispanic political leadership, said this current moment should not distract from the still-ongoing civil rights battles. “Those legacies are unchanged,” said Paul Ortiz, a labor history professor at Cornell University and director of graduate studies for Latino Studies. “And those legacies are all about people power.” What seems inevitable, Bustamante said, is that there will always be an asterisk next to Chavez’s name. “Does that take away the greatness of what his accomplishments were, the meaning of them? No, it doesn’t,” he said. “But can we look past that to honor him? That’s the tough part.”Bedayn is a national breaking news reporter for The Associated Press working on the Rapid Response Team. He also covers politics, housing and artificial intelligence, and seeks to tell the human stories behind major news events. He is based in Denver.
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