OPINION | What the Allegations Against Cesar Chavez Mean for the Future of the Farm Workers' Movement

By Magdaleno "Leno" Rose-Avila

The allegations of Cesar Chavez's abuse of women and children came as a shock to many, especially to those who had invested so much into the success of the United Farm Workers (UFW). Faced with the painful details of these allegations, as reported in The New York Times, the UFW, the Cesar Chavez Foundation, and others have canceled many national celebrations of Chavez's March 31 birthday.

I, like many, joined the union as a young dreamer seeking justice and freedom. In 1970, I began my journey as a full-time organizer earning $5 wages and $10 weekly for food. Thousands of us sacrificed to get union contracts and to build a foundation of hope.

After joining the union, I stopped selling drugs and got rid of the two pistols I owned, which I planned to use to harm my enemies. I learned that love was stronger than hate and that nonviolence was soon to be my road to healing. In 1993, Chavez died, and by the next year, I was the founding director of the Cesar Chavez Foundation. 

More than once over the years, I had written that Chavez was neither a god nor a saint. I had challenged him and the union on several issues and was almost fired several times.

As a human rights activist, I have seen many movements where the leadership had abused the power they managed. To learn that Chavez had allegedly assaulted UFW cofounder Dolores Huerta and allegedly abused children in the 1970s was hard to read and digest. We must meet all who have been abused with love and respect and help them heal — and perhaps also find a way for all of us to heal.

Huerta, a strong female leader, struggled for decades in a mostly male-oriented movement, one that carried a heavy cloud of machismo. Twenty-some years ago, she left the UFW and founded the Dolores Huerta Foundation, where she built a new and exciting home for young people, especially young girls and women, to organize and flourish. At almost 96 — her birthday is April 10 — she continues to be the face of freedom for so many.

The UFW created a national movement that empowered farm workers and their supporters to take on large growers and their right-wing friends by boycotting the purchase of lettuce and grapes, an effort that helped win union contracts for farm workers. So many activists like myself learned how to organize, challenge a racist system, and fight for justice without violence. The sacrifices we all made were incredible. And many of us continue our fight for human rights for everyone.

Today, there are already efforts to remove Chavez's name from buildings and schools. We know that this is difficult for the movement but also for the Chavez family, and especially for the victims who have come forward. And many of us fear there may be more victims.

Moving into the future, we must ensure that the rights of young girls and women are protected and that we respond appropriately to the victims and their families. The enemies of the union, of Chavez, of farm workers, and of Mexican Americans will call for a public lynching and the total destruction of a movement that, over the years, has done so much good work.

As we move into our tomorrows, we must work to keep our leadership honest and build safeguards for everyone. Many of us will experience anger, disappointment, and regret, and we'll be looking for that rainbow that we need now more than ever. But they say that when one star disappears, it makes room for three others to appear.

Magdaleno "Leno" Rose-Avila is a poet and human rights activist who lives on the Mexican side of the border. He distributes donated items to immigrant shelters in Tijuana, Nogales, and Juarez.