The Pima County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday took the first step toward ending the honoring and recognition of César Chávez, the disgraced, late labor leader and Latino icon.
In a unanimous vote, the board asked that the county begin the process of renaming its floating "César Chávez Holiday," available to the county's roughly 7,000 employees. In its vote, the board also asked that staff develop a plan to identify all "county assets" such as signage or public art that bear Chávez's name so they can be removed.
The item was brought by Supervisor Andrés Cano, who said the county "must speak out now," because despite the pain Chávez caused women included in a New York Times' article last week alleging sex crimes, the fight for farm workers' "dignity and social justice" needs to continue.
"We can be proud of the farm worker movement and continue that fight for this justice, and we can honor that movement while also telling that truth," he said. "The reality is that, Pima County should not continue honoring Mr. Chávez when so much harm has come to light."
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The New York Times, as a result of a five-year investigation, reported last week that it found credible evidence that Chávez groomed and sexually abused young girls who worked in the farmworkers' civil rights movement. Dolores Huerta, the UFW co-founder, and others told the Times that Chávez sexually assaulted them.
Cano and Supervisor Jen Allen, the board's chair, both said last week, following the Times' reporting that the county would be revisiting the holiday, county assets and streets bearing Chávez’s name. Allen, on Tuesday, said that despite the "disturbing, unsettling" allegations against Chavez, she is thankful that the survivors spoke up.
In November 1983, César Chávez joined strikers at Tucson's Greyhound Bus station downtown.
"Sexual abuse, sexual harassment should not be tolerated, whether it is from the White House to Wall Street, to social movements," she said. "We know this is a powerful reminder, that movements, in fact the gains of the farm workers, was not done through one person. Movements are always more than one person, and the strength and resilience of women who continue to lead that movement, I think speaks and attests to the strength that is there of survivors of sexual harassment and sexual assault."
Pima County Supervisor Rex Scott said the county owes it to Huerta and the other women to begin removing Chavez's name and image.
"We owe it to the victims in this situation, one of whom felt she had to be silent for 60 years," he said. "We owe it to them to honor, not only their pain and their victimhood, but also to send the right message to future generations that we are not going to stand by and tolerate this kind of behavior no matter how long it takes for it to come to light."
News of the allegations spread before the Times' reporting was even published, prompting the Tucson City Council to pause its proclamation of March 31, Chavez's birthday, as "César Chávez and Dolores Huerta Day." Additionally, prior to the Times' report, the Arizona César E. Chávez + Dolores Huerta Holiday Coalition renamed its event last Saturday and canceled its annual march and car show.
The city, which has recognized a paid holiday named after Chávez and Huerta for its employees, "will be observing a holiday on Monday, March 30th that will likely be renamed or reconsidered by the Mayor and Council in the near future," a city spokeswoman said. City offices will be closed Monday in accordance with the holiday, although trash and recycling collection will continue that day on its regular schedule. Los Reales landfill will also be open.
Tucson crews removed the statue of Chávez that was located at Five Points south of downtown Monday morning after being vandalized last week with red paint.
The statue, made by local artist Luis Gustavo Mena, was installed in 2020 at the intersection, where South Stone and South Sixth avenues meet with 18th Street. It was part of a larger art project planned for the intersection known as Five Points by the city’s Transportation Department.
Pima County and Tucson officials both came out in the wake of the Times' reporting to say the two governments would be reviewing the holiday's name and other "assets" named in his honor. The actions are akin to what officials across the country are doing to erase Chávez's name and likeness.
