When the mighty fall, sometimes they fall hard — really hard. Such is the case of the labor activist and co-founder of the United Farm Workers union, César Chávez.
On Tuesday, 33 years after his death, he was a hero, but by Wednesday, his name was mud after The New York Times delivered a report with shocking claims of rape and sex abuse against minors.
The UFW wasted no time in distancing themselves from their late leader, announcing immediately following the story breaking that they “will not be taking part in any Cesar Chavez Day [March 31] activities.”
Now, many of the people and institutions that previously honored him are scrambling to erase his memory as quickly as humanly possible.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass rushed to cancel her former hero:
Los Angeles is planning to strike down Cesar Chavez Day after the emergence of bombshell rape and sexual abuse allegations against the iconic labor leader.
The March 31 state holiday will be renamed Farm Workers Day under a proclamation set to be signed Thursday by LA Mayor Karen Bass.
Bass said Wednesday that Chavez’s “crimes do not diminish the courage of farm workers and workers everywhere who fight for their rights, equality for Latinos, and a stronger nation for everyone.”
Somebody forgot to tell her to take this down:
Cesar Chavez Day recognizes the labor movement led during a time where standing on the side of the working people mattered.
We honor Cesar Chavez today with a recommitment to continuing that same fight. pic.twitter.com/jML8y4x3bl
— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) March 31, 2025
Bass is not alone in having social media tributes to the labor leader; virtually every other Democrat politician of note has similar posts.
RELATED: Drama in United Farm Workers Union As Late Co-Founder César Chávez Accused of Disturbing Sex Crimes
The problem for so many: Chávez’s name adorns myriad schools, parks, buildings, and boulevards; meanwhile, statues and murals of him abound. Are they going to have to remove them all? Maybe they’ll just cover things up:
The statue of Cesar Chavez on the campus of Fresno State was covered by a black tarp and black plastic on Wednesday. https://t.co/f2poKKyWBP
— BakersfieldNow (@bakersfieldnow) March 18, 2026
There’s just something so ironic about this:
Biden proudly put a bust of César Chávez (who’s credibly accused of r*ping girls) in the oval office and said Chávez inspired him and is his role model pic.twitter.com/NAfNHZoTc2
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) March 19, 2026
It’s no wonder that people are desperate to not have their names uttered in the same breath as Chávez, because his alleged crimes are heinous:
Three women — including Chavez’s closest ally in the labor movement, Dolores Huerta — came forward to accuse Chavez of rape and sexual assault. Two of the women, Ana Murguia and Debra Rojas, told the New York Times that Chavez raped them when they were minors.
Multiple states, including Texas and Arizona, have canceled or are considering canceling their Chávez Day festivities. California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that he’s “still processing” the news, meaning he’s waiting to see which way the wind blows before he takes any action because he has no core convictions of his own.
There are over 125 places named after Chávez, more than half of them in California. Former President Joe Biden had a bust of him in the Oval Office, and Obama even renamed a naval ship after him.
It’s going to be a herculean task to remove his memory entirely — but it will be fun watching them try.
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