A covered statue, a legacy in doubt
The reaction was quick and forceful. Hours after sexual abuse allegations against César Chávez came to light, California State University, Fresno had already covered his statue with a black cloth. Then, a wooden box. Soon, they say, they will remove it from campus.
“They demand our full attention and a moral reckoning through the removal of their statue,” said Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, president of the university.
But this is just the beginning. The Associated Press identified more than 130 places in at least 19 states that are named after the union leader. Streets, schools, libraries, parks. Even a US Navy ship.
A name that is now a stain
The New York Times published on Wednesday evidence that it described as “credible” about how Chávez had abused little girls who worked in the movement. One of the victims spoke precisely when they proposed naming a street near his house in his honor.
The most shocking revelation came from Dolores Huerta, co-founder with him of the United Farm Workers union. She herself told the newspaper that she was a victim when she was in her early 30s.
Now, institutions are moving. In Phoenix, the city council will vote next week on whether to rename the federal holiday César Chávez Day – which coincides with his birthday – and any street or building named after him.
Some suggest renaming these places in honor of Huerta. In Pueblo, Colorado, they already share the name of a school.
But changing names is not simple. Modifying a national monument – such as the one established by Barack Obama in 2012 – requires an act of Congress or presidential action.
Meanwhile, that wooden box in Fresno is just the first visible act of what promises to be a painful historical rethinking.
