The saintly image of Cesar Chavez is gone, replaced by a portrait of a sexual predator who used his movement’s isolation and its members’ devotion to cover his crimes. A New York Times investigation, detailed on *The Daily*, found Chavez sexually abused girls as young as 12 and assaulted adult women, including his top deputy Dolores Huerta. Seven women have come forward with allegations ranging from manipulation and harassment to rape.
The abuse unfolded at the union’s isolated mountain headquarters, La Paz. Chavez groomed the daughters of his most loyal organizers, hiring them for office work as young teenagers and presenting himself as a lonely healer. The abuse began during private “yoga” sessions on a mat in his locked office. He was 44; they were children.
For survivors like Ana Merguia, the fear of shattering the movement paralyzed them. Her father was Chavez’s close friend and a dedicated organizer, rarely home. “My dad was gone. He gave everything to the movement,” she said. She feared he wouldn’t believe her, or would be angry at her for threatening the cause.
Ana Merguia, The Daily:
- He's just a man. He's not the causa.
- There were many men, women and children that sacrificed for this cause and many lives were changed because of the cause, not because of the man.
The control extended to adult women. Huerta, the 95-year-old civil rights icon, told reporters Chavez sexually assaulted and manipulated her into sex, resulting in two secret pregnancies she kept for 60 years. The pattern created a system of secrecy that lasted decades.
Now, the public reckoning is swift and physical. Fresno State University covered its Chavez statue, then boxed it, then removed it. Cities across California and the Southwest are stripping his name from streets and buildings. The state renamed Cesar Chavez Day to Farmworkers Day.
The survivors insist they are not attacking the union, but the man who betrayed it. Their testimony forces a brutal separation between a noble cause and the leader who exploited its most vulnerable members.
Deborah Rojas, The Daily:
- He has been a shadow over my life and I want it to end, it's time.
