Shortly after Dolores Huerta announced publicly that she was sexually assaulted by the late civic activist Cesar Chavez, cities and school districts across Texas began rushing to remove the famed labor leader’s name from public buildings and street signs.
Huerta said she kept the matter silent for decades because of the political context, gender dynamics, and fear of damaging the labor movement. She came forward when other women accused Chavez, who died in 1993, of sexual abuse, according to a New York Times investigation.
Many would like to see Houston’s Cesar Chavez Boulevard renamed to honor Huerta for her courage in speaking up. Some, however, have criticized the 95-year-old for waiting decades to come forward while Chavez allegedly continued to abuse young girls. Huerta said she was an adult at the time of her two sexual encounters with Chavez in the 1960s. She claims both incidents resulted in pregnancy and she gave the children up for adoption.
Huerta worked alongside Chavez for more than 30 years, and the pair founded United Farm Workers with Larry Itliong in 1962.
Chavez is the namesake for at least eight major streets across Texas, including thoroughfares in Austin, Dallas, San Antonio and El Paso. Cesar Chavez Boulevard in Houston‘s East End/Magnolia Park area used to be 67th Street and was changed to honor Chavez in 2000 at the urging of community groups.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire announced last week that a 30-day public comment period opened April 1 for residents to submit their suggestions for the name change. The city council will vote on a new street name on May 13, and new signage will be installed by early June. About 38 parcels have a Cesar Chavez Boulevard address, Whitmire said.
U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, has already urged the city council to change the name to honor Huerta.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo also supports honoring Huerta, saying in a statement last week, “As an immigrant from Latin America, I’ve always felt a connection with the work that the farm workers’ movement has achieved. But that movement was never about just one person. It’s about fighting to make the U.S. a land of opportunity for all of us. Renaming the street after Dolores Huerta will help our community heal and move forward while also continuing to recognize the work of the entire labor movement.”
Linda Morales, an organizing director for the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation, said she’d support Huerta Boulevard but has also proposed that the street be renamed for Maria Jimenez.
Jimenez, a Houston-based immigrant rights activist, worked for decades to support Latin American and undocumented communities throughout the United States, particularly along the U.S.-Mexico border. She died of cancer in 2020.
“She always helped immigrant families and was about doing what is right for workers,” Morales said. “She has a long history of service. We had a man’s name so now let’s do a woman’s name. Maria is very deserving of it.”
Morales said she’s heard the criticism that Huerta waited too long to come forward but says she believes the activist was putting the labor movement first and was probably concerned that no one would have believed her.
“Look at all of the — I’m going to say this and I don’t mean anything wrong — white women who were abused by Trump and Epstein; look how long it took them to come forward,” Morales said. “Some of them were wealthy people. Dolores Huerta was poor and she believed that coming forward would put the whole movement of the farm workers in jeopardy. When you’re poor and you don’t have a support system, you’re going to be the one to be blamed for everything. Sadly she had to keep quiet for all these years.”
Morales emphasized the importance of changing the street name, noting that it offers an opportunity to educate young people on the crusaders who made significant contributions that shaped history.
“I had a panel discussion last year on Cesar and Dolores, and you would not believe how many people did not know who they were,” she said. “We have to educate people on who these people are who fought for everyone.”
Houston ISD renamed its districtwide holiday Chavez-Huerta Day to “Farmworkers Day” in March but still hasn’t determined what to do about Cesar E. Chavez High School, a campus near Hobby Airport where about 1,570 students are enrolled.
Gov. Greg Abbott announced last month that Texas would not observe Cesar Chavez Day, saying that he would work with Texas lawmakers to remove the observance “from state law altogether.”
“Reports of the horrific and widely acknowledged sexual assault allegations against Cesar Chavez rightfully dismantle the myth of this progressive hero and undermine the narrative that elevated Chavez as a figure worthy of official state celebration.”
