Swift and widespread, efforts to rebrand César Chavez Day are fueled by emotion and duty

Pedestrians walk past the parking lot of the Cesar Chavez Learning Center in Dallas, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File) 2026-03-29T13:06:21Z From California to Minnesota, elected leaders and civil rights groups are scrambling to distance themselves from César Chavez’s name in the wake of allegations that he sexually abused women and girls during the 1960s as he became the face of the farmworkers’ movement.

Efforts have been swift and widespread to rebrand events ahead of what typically was a day to celebrate the life and legacy of the Latino rights advocate on his birthday, March 31.

In Tucson, Arizona, last weekend’s celebration was instead billed as a community and labor fair.

In Grand Junction, Colorado, it’s now the Sí, Se Puede Celebration.

El Paso, Texas, will mark Tuesday as Community and Labor Heritage Day.

Lawmakers in Minnesota voted this week to end the César Chavez holiday in their state, while California Gov.

Gavin Newsom on Thursday signed a bill to rename César Chavez Day as Farmworkers Day.

In Colorado, lawmakers were considering a bill to rename the voluntary state holiday there to Farm Workers Day.

Renaming efforts also are underway for dozens of schools, streets and other locations across the United States that are named for Chavez, including the national monument in Keene, California.

The resulting conversations have been anything but easy as supporters grapple with conflicted feelings while sorting out how best to honor what was a pivotal labor and civil rights effort in the United States.

A betrayal Feelings of disappointment, disbelief and even anger have made for an emotional cocktail for those charting the path forward.

The New York Times recently reported that it found César Chavez groomed and sexually abused young girls who worked in the movement.

The movement’s co-founder, Dolores Huerta , also revealed that she was a victim of the abuse in her 30s. “It was a personal hurt and a betrayal,” said Jose Luis Chavez, founder and president of the committee that has organized the César Chavez Celebration for Mesa County, Colorado, for the past decade.

The committee is made up of people who have worked in the agricultural industry and whose grandparents and parents cut grapes and picked peaches. “I think that’s what my committee was feeling, and I think when we look at our community here, that is what people are still feeling,” said Jose Luis Chavez, who is not related to the famous civil rights leader. “They’re

原文链接: AP News