The Dethroning of Cesar Chavez
For many Latinos, Cesar Chavez seemed like a saint. There have in fact been efforts to canonize him. I lived in Los Angeles for a summer when I was an undergraduate, and I frequently drove down Cesar E. Chavez Avenue. Just about every institution I’ve belonged to has named something after him. In Tucson, I’ve met with University of Arizona professors in the Cesar E. Chavez Building. At Northwestern, where I am now a professor, a group of Latino students once invited me to speak on their Cesar Chavez Day of Service, before they went out into the community to volunteer. The streets, buildings, and commemorative days will likely be renamed, but what will I say now about Chavez in my Latino-history course, which I teach almost every year? A yearslong investigation by The New York Times uncovered accusations that he sexually abused Ana Murguia and Debra Rojas when they were minors, and raped Dolores Huerta, with whom he co-founded the United Farm Workers union. One of the most revered figures of not only Latino …
