César Chavez accused of sexually abusing labor rights leader Dolores Huerta and others

Dolores Huerta accuses César Chavez of sexual abuse, prompting reevaluation of his legacy in the labor rights movement.

Labor rights activist Dolores Huerta revealed she was among women and girls who say they were sexually abused by César Chavez, the widely admired Latino icon who brought to light the struggles of farmhands while leading the United Farm Workers union.

The stunning allegations against Chavez, who died more than three decades ago, drew immediate calls to alter memorials honoring the man who in the 1960s helped secure better wages and working conditions for farmworkers and has been long revered by many Democratic leaders in the U.S.

United Farm Workers Vice President Dolores Huerta speaks during an interview at her apartment in the Mission District of San Francisco on Oct. 1, 1969. | Photo Credit: AP

In a statement released Wednesday (March 18, 2026), Huerta said she stayed silent for 60 years out of concern that her words would hurt the farmworker movement.

Ms. Huerta described two sexual encounters with Chavez, one where she was “manipulated and pressured” and another where she was “forced against my will.”

“I carried this secret for as long as I did because building the movement and securing farmworker rights was life’s work. The formation of a union was the only vehicle to accomplish and secure those rights and I wasn’t going to let César or anyone else get in the way,” she said.