Labor icon Dolores Huerta confirms César Chávez sex allegations, says he impregnated her twice

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - Dolores Huerta, one of the country's most influential labor activists, responded on Wednesday to the explosive allegations against Latino civil rights activist César Chávez , saying he forced her into two sex encounters and that he impregnated her twice.

"I have kept this secret long enough," she said. "My silence ends here."

New York Times investigation into César Chávez 

Her statement followed shortly after the New York Times published an article saying Huerta and at least two others were sexually assaulted by the late Chavez – the nation's most revered Latino labor activist – who died in 1993 at the age of 66. 

Since he is dead, it's impossible to hear what he has to say. 

In a statement, Chávez's  family on Wednesday wrote that they are "shocked and saddened" to learn their father was engaged in this sexual activity nearly 50 years ago. 

"As a family steeped in the values of equity and justice, we honor the voices of those who feel unheard and who report sexual abuse," the statement read. "This is deeply painful to our family. As family members, we also carry our own memories of the person we knew. Someone whose life included work and contributions that matter deeply to many people." 

Two sexual encounters

What they're saying:

For years, Huerta has been Chávez's most public and well-known supporter. The two of them, along with Gilbert Padilla, founded the National Farm Workers Association in 1962, which later became the United Farm Workers labor union, representing farmworkers in San Joaquin Valley.

She told the Times that Chávez drove her to a grape field in Delano, Calif., in 1966, when he was 36 years old, and raped her. She said she even has two children from him. She hasn't spoken publicly until now. In 2002, she founded the Dolores Huerta Foundation in Bakersfield, Calif. 

"I am nearly 96 years old, and for the last 60 years have kept a secret because I believed that exposing the truth would hurt the farmworker movement I have spent my entire life fighting for," her statement said.

She said she has always "encouraged people to always use their voice."

No longer stay silent

And now, following the New York Times’ multi-year investigation into Chávez's sexual misconduct, she said: "I can no longer stay silent and must share my own experiences."

She described as a young mother in the 1960s, she experienced two separate sexual encounters with Chávez. 

"The first time I was manipulated and pressured into having sex with him, and I didn’t feel I could say no because he was someone that I admired, my boss and the leader of the movement I had already devoted years of my life to," she wrote. 

The second time, she said she was "forced, against my will, and in an environment where I felt trapped," referring to the time in the grape field.

Huerta said she had experienced abuse and sexual violence before, and she convinced herself these were incidents that she had to "endure alone and in secret." 

Two children with Chávez

Big picture view:

Both sexual encounters with Chávez led to pregnancies, Huerta said. 

"I chose to keep my pregnancies secret and, after the children were born, I arranged for them to be raised by other families that could give them stable lives," she wrote.

Over the years, she said she began developing a deep relationship with these children, who are now close to her other children.

But even then, no one knew the full truth about how they were conceived until just a few weeks ago, she said.

"I carried this secret for as long as I did because building the movement and securing farmworker rights was my life’s work," Huerta explained. 

What was really important to her at the time, Huerta said, was forming a union for farmworkers – not making allegations against an icon in an era when a woman's story was often disbelieved. 

Who is Cesar Chávez?

Chávez is known nationally for his early organizing in the fields, a hunger strike, a grape boycott and eventual victory in getting growers to negotiate with farmworkers for better wages and working conditions.

California became the first state to establish March 31, Chávez’s birthday, as a day commemorating the labor leader. Others followed. In 2014, then-President Barack Obama proclaimed March 31 as national Cesar Chavez Day, urging Americans to honor his legacy. Streets, schools and parks bear Chávez’s name, including Cesar ChávezStreet in San Francisco, which used to be Army Street.

And because of his notoriety and their shared desire to improve working conditions, Huerta said she wasn’t going to let Chávez "or anyone else get in the way."

"I channeled everything I had into advocating on behalf of millions of farmworkers and others who were suffering and deserved equal rights," she said.

Huerta said she is a survivor

Huerta said that she never identified herself as a victim.

"I now understand that I am a survivor — of violence, of sexual abuse, of domineering men who saw me, and other women, as property, or things to control," she said.

Huerta said she also now realizes that because of the New York Times investigation, there are other women who also suffered a similar fate. The Times' investigation states some of Chávez's victims were girls and teens. 

"The knowledge that he hurt young girls sickens me," Huerta wrote. "My heart aches for everyone who suffered alone and in silence for years. There are no words strong enough to condemn those deplorable actions that he did. Cesar’s actions do not reflect the values of our community and our movement."

Canceling Cesar Chávez Day

What you can do:

Despite what Chávez is accused of, Huerta believes that his actions don't diminish the permanent improvements achieved for farmworkers with the help of thousands of people.

She also directed sexual assault survivors to her foundation for support. 

Even before the New York Times story broke, organizations on Tuesday began to get wind of it. 

The Cesar Chávez Foundation in Keene, Calif., issued a statement saying how troubled they were. 

And the UFW, also headquartered in Keene, Calif., said their organization wouldn't participate in any Cesar Chavez Day activities.  Several Cesar Chávez celebrations in San Francisco, Texas and Chavez’s home state of Arizona were canceled at the request of the foundation, too. 

At a news conference about literacy in San Leandro on Wednesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he's open to the idea of possibly changing the name of Cesar Chávez Day, but right now, it's in the statute, that the governor has to proclaim it as such.

"The farmworker movement is much bigger than one man, and we should celebrate that, make that our focus as we process what the next steps are," Newsom said. "This is a sensitive moment." 

Newsom also noted how many schools are named after Chávez, who had been an idol for many young school children. 

As for making any definitive statements, Newsom said he had finished reading the Times article in the morning and was processing the news himself. 

"There was never an indication," Newsom said. "I've spent so much time with Dolores." 

Are you or someone you know a recent survivor of sexual assault? Help is available. Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) provides a 24/7 national sexual assault hotline, which can be reached at 1-800-656-4673.