Civil rights leader Dolores Huerta has come forward with detailed allegations of sexual abuse against Cesar Chavez, sharing her story as broader allegations against the late labor leader continue to emerge.
In a statement released March 18, Huerta, now 96, said she remained silent for decades out of concern that speaking out could harm the movement she helped build. However, she said a recent investigation by The New York Times prompted her to come forward.
“I have kept a secret because I believed that exposing the truth would hurt the farmworker movement I have spent my entire life fighting for,” Huerta said. “I can no longer stay silent.”
Huerta described two separate sexual encounters with Chavez in the 1960s, when she was a young mother and organizer. She said the first involved manipulation and pressure, while the second she described as forced.
“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 said.
She also revealed that both encounters resulted in pregnancies, which she kept secret at the time, arranging for the children to be raised by other families. Over time, she said, she developed close relationships with them.
“I convinced myself these were incidents that I had to endure alone and in secret,” she said.
Huerta said she now understands herself as a survivor of sexual violence and believes other women and girls were also harmed.
“The knowledge that he hurt young girls sickens me,” she said. “My heart aches for everyone who suffered alone and in silence for years.”
Her statement comes amid broader allegations that Chavez abused women and minors during his leadership of the United Farm Workers. Those allegations have prompted responses from organizations across the farmworker movement, including the United Farm Workers (UFW) Foundation and the Cesar Chavez Foundation, which has said it is “deeply shocked and saddened,” and is working alongside partners to establish a confidential process for individuals to come forward.
The impact is also being felt locally. The City of Bakersfield announced it will terminate efforts to rename a street after Chavez in light of the allegations.
In a statement, the city said it “has become aware of allegations regarding Cesar Chavez during his time as the President of the United Farmworkers of America” and will no longer move forward with the proposed renaming.
In a show of support, the Dolores Huerta Foundation (DHF) issued a statement backing its founder.
“The Dolores Huerta Foundation stands behind our Founder and President, Dolores Huerta. We applaud her bravery in sharing her very personal story,” the organization said in a social media post.
The foundation emphasized its long-standing work in the Central Valley, stating that its mission remains rooted in “self-determination and collective liberation,” and reaffirmed its commitment to condemning sexual violence.
“While we acknowledge the weight of this moment, we remain focused, determined, and inspired to serve our community with the same relentless determination she has modeled for us,” the statement reads. “Her courage today doesn’t change our path; it clarifies it.”
Despite the allegations, Huerta stressed that the farmworker movement extends beyond any one individual and must continue.
“The farmworker movement has always been bigger and far more important than any one individual,” she said. “Cesar’s actions do not diminish the permanent improvements achieved for farmworkers.”
Huerta said she hopes that by sharing her story, others may feel empowered to come forward and that the movement can begin a process of accountability and healing.
“I have kept this secret long enough,” she said. “My silence ends here.”
