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South Bay leaders respond to Cesar Chavez allegations in San Jose
City and county leaders in the South Bay joined several organizations in East San Jose to share how their community is responding to the allegations against the late Cesar Chavez.
SAN JOSE, Calif. - City and county leaders in the South Bay joined several organizations in East San Jose to share how their community is responding to the allegations against the late Cesar Chavez.
This comes one day after Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers of America union, said she was raped by Chavez multiple times and birthed two of his children. Chavez is also accused of sexually abusing other women and girls.
The accusations against Chavez this week have been heartbreaking for many people in the labor movement and the Latino community.
The community of San Jose is facing the sexual assault allegations leveled against Chavez head on.
"It is deeply unsettling, especially for those of us in this community where this history lives all around us," Jessica Paz-Cedillos, CEO of School of Arts and Culture at the Mexican Heritage Plaza said.
What we know:
City leaders are considering the removal of several Chavez murals, as well as renaming sites bearing his name.
San Jose City Councilmember Peter Ortiz says he and other city leaders have already made moves for change. The city has canceled events tied to Chavez's name for the upcoming holiday.
"A memo we will be bringing forward next week at the rules committee meeting…to begin a community-driven process to review public spaces, monuments and sites, including Cesar Chavez Plaza in downtown San Jose," Ortiz said.
The mural outside Cesar Chavez Elementary School in East San Jose depicts Chavez at the center, with nameless and faceless farmworkers by his side. The image of Chavez is now a blight for many.
Carlos Sánchez is a professor of philosophy at San Jose State University, and a child of migrant farmworkers. He says this could be a chance for the mexican community and labor movement to get back to their roots.
"How do we handle learning that our heroes are morally flawed? I think we handle it by remembering that idolizing personalities over principles is always a bad gamble," Sánchez told KTVU. "
He says this could be a chance for the Mexican community to get back to its roots.
"One of the important characteristics of Mexican culture is our ability to value community over the individual. And oftentimes, living in America, we forget those roots and those principles, right? So I think it's important to go back to that," he said.
Big picture view:
As the allegations shift the narrative of Chavez’s impact, the community members we spoke to hope to keep the healing and welfare of survivors of sexual assault at the forefront of their efforts.
Colsaria Henderson is the Executive Director of Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence in San Jose. Her team supports victims of sexual assault and domestic violence.
Henderson says providing community support is the only way to respond when victims of sexual assault come forward.
"The goal is community. With numbers like one in four women and one in three teens, we have to lean on each other and we have to have a community response to domestic violence and sexual violence.
A new proposal from California leaders will rename Cesar Chavez Day to Farmworkers Day in the state. Governor Gavin Newsom says he is in support of the proposal.
It's not just California. Leaders in Texas, Arizona, Colorado and Washington have already canceled plans tied to Chavez or the upcoming holiday bearing his name.
The backstory:
Chavez has deep ties to the San Jose community. He lived and worked in the Mayfair neighborhood in East San Jose, and his family home is still in the city.