New York Times writers Manny Fernandez and Sarah Hurtes wrote a scathing article on United Farmworkers Union co-founder and civil rights icon Cesar Chavez on March 18. The article interviewed at least 60 people in the UFW, who described several accounts of sexual harassment that Chavez inflicted upon women and children.
Within the following hours after the article was published, buildings, signs and statues that honored Chavez were removed around the country. The city of Riverside plans to host community forums to hear from residents, and how they feel about the status of the Cesar Chavez Community Center on University Avenue and the Chavez statue downtown.
It’s important to remember however, he was only the face of the movement. He does not represent the purpose of the UFW and farmworkers’ rights. It reportedly took her 60 years to reveal her truth…