Amid allegations it calls “deeply troubling and “profoundly shocking,” the United Farm Workers union on Tuesday distanced itself from founder César Chávez while another organization canceled upcoming celebrations in his name.
Union officials, along with representatives from the foundation that bears Chávez’s name, acknowledged accusations of the abuse of young women and minors, but offered few details of what precisely the late labor rights icon is alleged to have done and who is making the allegations.
Yet UFW officials felt compelled to distance the organization from annual celebrations of its founder, just days ahead of his March 31 birthday, when most events are set to take place. In a statement Tuesday, they urged people around the country to participate in immigration justice events or acts of service rather than those meant to honor Chávez’s legacy.
“The United Farm Workers will not be taking part in any César Chávez Day activities,” a statement from the union said.
The union said it has not received any direct reports of abuse and does not have any firsthand knowledge of the allegations, but added that “some of the reports are family issues, and not our story to tell or our place to comment on.”
The UFW, nonetheless, said that “allegations that very young women or girls may have been victimized are crushing.”
Officials with the César Chávez Foundation, in a separate statement, added slightly more detail, saying they had “become aware of disturbing allegations that César Chávez engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior with women and minors during his time as President of the United Farm Workers of America (UFW).”
Several César Chávez celebrations in San Francisco, Texas and Chavez’s home state of Arizona were canceled at the request of the foundation.
Both the UFW and the Chávez foundation said they will work to establish ways for anyone who allege harm by Chavez to share experiences confidentially.
“These allegations have been profoundly shocking,” the union statement said. “We need some time to get this right, including to ensure robust, trauma-informed services are available to those who may need it.”
California became the first state to establish March 31 as a day commemorating the labor leader, a decision signed into law in 1994 by former Gov. Pete Wilson. Other states followed. In 2014, President Barack Obama proclaimed March 31 as national César Chávez Day, urging Americans to honor his legacy.
Streets, schools and parks in San Diego, elsewhere in California and across the nation bear Chávez’s name. Born in Yuma, Arizona, he grew up in a Mexican American family that traveled around California picking lettuce, grapes, cotton and other seasonal crops. He died in California in 1993 at age 66.
Chávez is known nationally for his early organizing in the fields, a hunger strike, a grape boycott and eventual victory in getting growers to negotiate with farmworkers for better wages and working conditions.
In 1962, Chávez and Dolores Huerta co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which became the United Farm Workers of America. Chávez served as UFW president until his death.
Chávez protested against poor pay and often-miserable work conditions for farmworkers in California, which grows nearly half the nation’s fruits, nuts and vegetables. There were no toilets in the fields for workers, and they often worked with short-handled hoes that forced them to bend over for hours at a time.
Many of the workers were Spanish-speakers who were in the country temporarily or illegally and had little political or legal clout to prevent abuses. That’s where Chávez stepped in — to represent them.
In a 1992 appearance in Coachella, Chávez led a caravan that culminated in him comparing the work of those not in the fields with the hard labor of the people for whom he advocated.
“When they come out here and taste the sweat running into their mouths, then they’ll get it,” he told the crowd. “But until that day comes, we’ll have to keep pushing them, until they give in — just like ranchers all across the state have already begun to do.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.