US civil rights leader Cesar Chavez has been accused of sexual abuse by Dolores Huerta, his United Farm Workers co-founder, and two other women.
Huerta, 95, said Chavez manipulated and pressured her into sex in the 1960s-acts that led to pregnancies she kept secret. She revealed the abuse to protect the farmworker movement at the time.
Ana Murguia and Debra Rojas, both 66, allege Chavez groomed and abused them for years starting in 1972 when they were minors.
The New York Times investigation prompted nationwide reckoning. Events for Cesar Chavez Day have been canceled or renamed.
The UFW confirmed no prior knowledge of allegations. The Cesar Chavez Foundation expressed shock and pledged cooperation with movement leaders.
California Governor Gavin Newsom affirmed support for survivors and openness to renaming the holiday. Republican Assemblywoman Alexandra Macedo filed legislation to rename it Farmworker Day.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass condemned the abuses as part of enduring systemic harm. LULAC stated no legacy excuses accountability.