Dolores Huerta, the nearly 96-year-old co-founder of the United Farm Workers, is making one thing very clear to San Francisco officials: She does not want streets, schools or public buildings renamed for her, even as communities wrestle with fresh allegations against César Chávez and reconsider how, or whether, to keep honors that bear his name.
Her spokesperson, Erik Olvera, said communities should instead honor “the UFW martyrs, organizers, farmworkers, and families who sacrificed everything,” rather than swapping in Huerta’s name on existing sites, according to The San Francisco Standard. The outlet also reports that officials in Sacramento have moved to retitle César Chávez Day as “Farmworkers Day,” and that local leaders in San Francisco are weighing whether to change the names of streets and schools that currently honor Chávez.
Huerta Breaks Her Silence
In a March 18 post, Huerta described two sexual encounters with Chávez, saying one was coerced and another was forced, and wrote, “I have never identified myself as a victim, but I now understand that I am a survivor,” in a statement on Medium. Her disclosure followed a multiyear New York Times investigation that prompted cancellations and a wave of re-evaluations, as reported by AP News.
What San Francisco Officials Are Weighing
Locally, officials are discussing whether to rename the 3.5-mile César Chávez Street and César Chávez Elementary in the Mission, and Supervisor Jackie Fielder is working with community and labor groups to map out a process for any change, The San Francisco Standard reports. Any formal move would require community outreach and votes by elected boards, so nothing is happening overnight.
Where Other Cities Have Moved Faster
Tucson’s mayor has already renamed the city’s March 31 observance “Dolores Huerta Day” and removed a bronze statue amid the backlash, as documented by AZ Luminaria. Across California and beyond, colleges, school districts and local governments have covered murals, taken down statues or launched renaming reviews in the wake of the reporting, AP News found…