Centering Survivors, Not Symbols: Dolores Huerta and the Meaning of This Moment
by
Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D.
March 18, 2026
There are moments when the stories we inherit ask something difficult of us. This is one of them. Dolores Huerta, at nearly 96 years old, has broken a silence she carried for more than half a century. In her own words, she was “manipulated and pressured,” and later “forced, against [her] will,” into sexual encounters with Cesar Chavez at a time when he was her boss, someone she admired, and the central figure in a movement she had already given her life to.
She tells us she stayed silent because the movement mattered—that the fight for farmworker justice could not be derailed. And now, she tells us that her silence has ended (Fernandez & Hurtes, 2026). In her words, per an NBC Los Angeles report (posted below) by Jonathan Lloyd,
"The knowledge that he hurt young girls sickens me. My heart aches for everyone who suffered alone and in silence for years. There are no words strong enough to condemn those deplorable actions that he did. Cesar’s actions do not reflect the values of our community and our movement."
I sit with this with a heavy heart. Like so many, I have long held deep respect for the farmworker movement and what it made possible for our communities. That does not go away. But neither can we look away from what Huerta has entrusted us with. When she names herself as a survivor—of sexual violence, of power, of men who saw women as objects to control—she is not only telling her story. She is opening a space for others, including those who, as she notes, were harmed as young girls and carried that pain alone.
So I find myself asking: what would it mean to honor this moment with integrity? Perhaps it means that Cesar Chavez Day goes away—or alternatively, becomes something more honest, more expansive—a day where we hold the complexity of our histories and center those who have been pushed to the margins. A day to stand with survivors of sexual abuse, with children who have been violated, with those living under the weight of gendered and state violence.
If we take Huerta seriously—and I believe we must—then this is not about tearing down a movement, but about refusing to root it in silence. It is about bringing our commemorations into right relationship with the values we name: dignity, truth, and justice. And it is about honoring her courage by listening—to the voices of other survivors who have carried these truths quietly, often alone, for far too long.
And listening must move us to act. Support organizations that provide care and advocacy for survivors. Create spaces in our communities where people can speak without fear and be met with belief, not doubt. Teach our students and our children about consent, power, and accountability. Demand that our institutions—whether movements, universities, or the state itself—take seriously their responsibility to protect the vulnerable and to confront harm, even when it is inconvenient or painful.
Let this be one of commitment to survivors, to truth, and to a future where justice is not selective, and where no one is asked to carry such burdens alone.
References
Fernandez, M. & Hurtes, S. (2026, March 18). Cesar Chavez, a civil rights icon, is accused of abusing girls for years, New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/18/us/cesar-chavez-sexual-abuse-allegations-ufw.html
In the statement from Huerta issued by spokesman Eric Olvera, Huerta, 96, said she was "manipulated and pressured into having sex with" Chavez in the 1960s when the two were at the forefront of the labor movement.
"As a young mother in the 1960s, I experienced two separate sexual encounters with Cesar," Huerta said in the statement. "The first time I was manipulated and pressured into having sex with him, and 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. The second time I was forced, against my will, and in an environment where I felt trapped."
Both sexual encounters with Chavez led to pregnancies, Huerta said.
Huerta said she is coming forward now to share her experience following a New York Times multi-year investigation into Chavez's sexual misconduct. The children were placed in the care of other families, she said.
"Over the years, I have been fortunate to develop a deep relationship with these children, who are now close to my other children, their siblings," Huerta said. "But even then, no one knew the full truth about how they were conceived until just a few weeks ago.
"I carried this secret for as long as I did because building the movement and securing farmworker rights was my life’s work. The formation of a union was the only vehicle to accomplish and secure those rights and I wasn’t going to let Cesar or anyone else get in the way. I channeled everything I had into advocating on behalf of millions of farmworkers and others who were suffering and deserved equal rights."
Chavez died in 1993 at age 66.
In the early 1960s, Chavez co-founded what would become the influential UFW with Huerta. The statement from Huerta came a day after statements from the UFW and the Cesar Chavez Foundation regarding unspecified allegations against Chavez.
The United Farm Workers said it will not be part of any Cesar Chavez Day activities after "deeply troubling allegations" against the union co-founder. UFW said in its statement that allegations against the labor activist include "very young women or girls may have been victimized."
The union said it has not received direct reports and does not have any firsthand knowledge of the allegations.
The Cesar Chavez Foundation in a statement Tuesday said Chavez is accused of engaging in inappropriate behavior with women and minors during his time as president of the United Farm Workers of America.
The statements did not provide more details about the nature of the allegations. The allegations were not independently confirmed by NBCLA.
The organizations urged people to participate in immigration justice events or acts of service instead of the typical events on the holiday honoring Chavez's civil rights and labor activism legacy.
The Cesar Chavez Day state holiday is every March 31 in California, where nearly half the nation’s fruits, nuts and vegetables are grown. In 2014, President Barack Obama proclaimed March 31 as national Cesar Chavez Day.
There are several parks, schools and streets in Southern California that bear his name. The Cesar E. Chavez National Monument is in Keene, California, located in the Tehachapi Mountains.
The civil rights, Latino and farm labor leader was born in 1927 in Arizona. His family became migrant farm workers after losing their farm in the Great Depression, picking lettuce, grapes, cotton and other seasonal crops.
Chavez served in the Navy before becoming a prominent community organizer in California.
Read full Dolores Huerta statement
I am nearly 96 years old, and for the last 60 years have kept a secret because I believed that exposing the truth would hurt the farmworker movement I have spent my entire life fighting for.
I have encouraged people to always use their voice. Following the New York Times’ multi-year investigation into sexual misconduct by Cesar Chavez, I can no longer stay silent and must share my own experiences.
As a young mother in the 1960s, I experienced two separate sexual encounters with Cesar. The first time I was manipulated and pressured into having sex with him, and 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. The second time I was forced, against my will, and in an environment where I felt trapped.
I had experienced abuse and sexual violence before, and I convinced myself these were incidents that I had to endure alone and in secret. Both sexual encounters with Cesar led to pregnancies. I chose to keep my pregnancies secret and, after the children were born, I arranged for them to be raised by other families that could give them stable lives.
Over the years, I have been fortunate to develop a deep relationship with these children, who are now close to my other children, their siblings. But even then, no one knew the full truth about how they were conceived until just a few weeks ago.
I carried this secret for as long as I did because building the movement and securing farmworker rights was my life’s work. The formation of a union was the only vehicle to accomplish and secure those rights and I wasn’t going to let Cesar or anyone else get in the way. I channeled everything I had into advocating on behalf of millions of farmworkers and others who were suffering and deserved equal rights.
I have never identified myself as a victim, but I now understand that I am a survivor — of violence, of sexual abuse, of domineering men who saw me, and other women, as property, or things to control.
I am telling my story because the New York Times has indicated that I was not the only one — there were others. Women are coming forward, sharing that they were sexually abused and assaulted by Cesar when they were girls and teenagers.
The knowledge that he hurt young girls sickens me. My heart aches for everyone who suffered alone and in silence for years. There are no words strong enough to condemn those deplorable actions that he did. Cesar’s actions do not reflect the values of our community and our movement.
The farmworker movement has always been bigger and far more important than any one individual. Cesar’s actions do not diminish the permanent improvements achieved for farmworkers with the help of thousands of people. We must continue to engage and support our community, which needs advocacy and activism now more than ever.
I will continue my commitments to workers, as well as my commitment to women’s rights, to make sure we have a voice and that our communities are treated with dignity and given the equity that they have so long been denied.
I have kept this secret long enough. My silence ends here.
Read the full UFW statement
The UFW has learned of deeply troubling allegations that one of the union’s co-founders, Cesar Chavez, behaved in ways that are incompatible with our organization’s values. Some of the reports are family issues, and not our story to tell or our place to comment on. Far more troubling are allegations involving abuse of young women or minors. Allegations that very young women or girls may have been victimized are crushing. We have not received any direct reports, and we do not have any firsthand knowledge of these allegations. However, the allegations are serious enough that we feel compelled to take urgent steps to learn more and provide space for people who may have been victimized to find support and to share their stories if that is what they choose.
The United Farm Workers will not be taking part in any Cesar Chavez Day activities.
Instead, we call on our allies and supporters to take part in immigration justice events and acts of service to support farmworkers or empower vulnerable people in their own communities.
Over the coming weeks, in partnership with experts in these kinds of processes, we are working to establish an external, confidential, independent channel for those who may have experienced harm caused by Cesar Chavez during the early days of the UFW’s history. This channel is for those who wish to share their experiences of harm, to identify their current impacts and needs, and, if desired, to participate in a collective process to develop mechanisms for repair and accountability.
We are grateful to the support of experts who can help us seek the truth that is the first step toward healing.
These allegations have been profoundly shocking. We need some time to get this right, including to ensure robust, trauma-informed services are available to those who may need it.
We understand this will be tremendously painful for many and we encourage our community to seek mental health support if they experience distress.
Today’s UFW is a modern and progressive labor union and we will seek to learn from our history.
Farm workers are winning new union contracts, and the United Farm Workers is fighting to protect immigrant communities from the wage cuts, violence and attacks farm workers face today. The work to support the farm workers who feed our nation is more important than ever, and this work will continue.
Read the full Cesar Chavez Foundation statement
The Cesar Chavez Foundation has become aware of disturbing allegations that Cesar Chavez engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior with women and minors during his time as President of the United Farm Workers of America (UFW).
We are deeply shocked and saddened by what we are hearing.
“The Foundation is working with leaders in the Farmworker Movement to be responsive to these allegations, support the people who may have been harmed by his actions, and ensure we are united and guided by our commitment to justice and community empowerment.
In partnership with the UFW, we are establishing a safe and confidential process for those who wish to share their experiences of historic harm, and, if they choose to, participate in efforts toward repair and reconciliation.
In addition, we are investing time and resources to ensure the Foundation promotes and strengthens a workplace culture that is safe and welcoming for all.
We ask for our community’s patience as we learn more. Throughout this process, our organization and our partners in the movement will continue our work together to protect and uplift the families and communities that we serve.
Today, the Cesar Chavez Foundation impacts the lives of millions of Latinos and working families across the Southwest by inspiring and transforming communities through social enterprises that address essential human, cultural, and community needs.”
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