Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers union and one of the most recognized figures in California labor history, has broken a six-decade silence with a public statement revealing that UFW leader Cesar Chavez sexually abused her β and that the encounters resulted in two children she arranged to be raised by other families.
In a statement posted to her Facebook page on March 19, the nearly 96-year-old Huerta described two encounters with Chavez in the 1960s. "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 I was forced, against my will."
Huerta said both encounters led to pregnancies, and she arranged for the children to be raised by other families β a secret she kept even from her own family until recently. She said she remained silent for decades because she believed exposing the truth would damage the farmworker movement, which she had dedicated her life to building.
The statement follows a multi-year New York Times investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against Chavez. Huerta says the Times' reporting, which included accounts from other women, compelled her to come forward. "He hurt young girls," she wrote. "The knowledge that he hurt young girls sickens me."
Huerta emphasized that Chavez's personal actions do not diminish the permanent gains achieved for farmworkers through the union movement, and said she will continue her work on behalf of workers' and women's rights. California lawmakers have announced plans to rename Cesar Chavez Day to Farmworkers Day β a move that takes on new significance in light of Huerta's statement. Resources for survivors of sexual violence are available through the Dolores Huerta Foundation at doloreshuerta.org/sexual_assault_resources.