From underage assaults and grooming claims to hidden children, fresh allegations challenge the civil rights figure Democrats have long celebrated.
Social justice advocates have long hailed Cesar Chavez as a symbol for labor and the Hispanic community, but fresh sexual assault allegations are now complicating the heroic image Democrats have promoted.
Chavez founded his labor organization in 1952 and rose to national prominence by the mid-1960s, leading massive boycotts and strikes that secured better wages and working conditions for migrant farmworkers. However, according to a New York Times investigation, multiple women have come forward accusing Chavez of sexually assaulting them when they were underage on multiple occasions.
“Don’t tell anyone,” Chavez allegedly told one victim, according to the Times. “They’d get jealous.”
Chavez allegedly made similar statements to his other victims.
During his time working and advocating for farmworkers, Cesar Chavez was often around families who included their children in the labor. In 1970, Ana Murguia and her family became one of the first to move into Chavez’s union compound in the Tehachapi Mountains, known as La Paz, the Times reported.
At the time of the move, Murguia was 10 years old, and her father was a union official and one of Chavez’s closest aides. Just a year later, in 1971, Chavez moved his own family onto the compound.
With families living in close quarters, Murguia told the Times that at 12 years old, Chavez began asking for her help dictating letters and working the community’s phone switchboard. She said she first enjoyed time in his office at age 13, but Chavez’s behavior soon changed.
The leader was reportedly interested in alternative healing therapies, and Murguia claimed Chavez would place her on his desk to demonstrate “pressure points.” These sessions allegedly progressed to kissing and fondling.
“When I was on the yoga mat is when he would try to have sex,” Murguia told the outlet.
Due to the alleged abuse, Murguia said she attempted suicide multiple times.
Another woman, Debra Rojas, claimed Chavez began sexually abusing her at age 12. During one of the first incidents, she alleged Chavez groped her breasts in the same office where Murguia was assaulted.
“I had love for him,” Rojas told the outlet. “He did his grooming very well. He should get an Academy Award for all he did.”
César Chávez — speaking at the Delano UFW−United Farm Workers rally in Delano, California, June 1972. Wiki Images
After the incident, Rojas told the Times she began seeing a therapist by age 16, later developing a drinking habit and panic attacks.
The Times investigation included over 60 interviews with Chavez’s top aides, relatives and former United Farm Workers (UFW) members to confirm the allegations.
Chavez married Helen Fabela in 1948 and remained with her until his death in 1993, having eight children. But according to the Times report, he fathered at least four children with three other women outside the marriage. The Times confirmed the relationships through interviews with two of the children, other family members and DNA results from 23andMe.
Chavez’s legacy has long been mixed. Previous reports described him growing paranoid and dictatorial, adopting a brutal psychological technique called “The Game” in 1977.
Staff were sent to Synanon, a controversial organization, for training and sessions at La Paz were made mandatory. Participants were reportedly screamed at, accused of disloyalty or treason and pressured to resign or confess. Between 1976 and 1981, Chavez reportedly drove out many of the union’s most effective longtime organizers, including early allies.
During Barack Obama’s presidency, March 31 was established as Cesar Chavez Day, with Obama calling him “one of America’s greatest champions for social justice.” A national monument was later created in 2012 to preserve his work. Former President Joe Biden continued the tradition after taking office in 2021, urging service programs to mark the day.
The new allegations surfaced just before what would have been Chavez’s 99th birthday, leading to cancellations of celebratory events. The UFW issued a statement on March 17:
“As a women-led organization that exists to empower communities, the allegations about abusive behavior by Cesar Chavez go against everything that we stand for. These disturbing allegations involve inappropriate behavior by Cesar Chavez with young women and minors, they are shocking, indefensible and something we are taking seriously,” the UFW stated in a press release on Tuesday.
“Recognizing how serious the allegations are, the UFW Foundation has cancelled all Cesar Chavez Day activities this month,” the group added.
