Pioneering Feminist Icon Dolores Huerta Among Women Accusing Cesar Chavez of Sexual Abuse

Pioneering labor leader and feminist activist Dolores Huerta is among several women accusing Cesar Chavez, the late co-founder of the United Farm Workers (UFW), of sexual abuse, as part of a report published Wednesday by The New York Times.

Huerta, now nearly 96, said she remained silent for decades but decided to speak publicly after learning that other women had also come forward with allegations against Chavez.

The investigation reports that multiple women, including two who said they were minors at the time, accused Chavez of sexual misconduct dating back to the 1960s and 1970s. The findings are based on interviews with more than 60 people, including former union members, relatives and aides, as well as a review of union records, emails and archival materials.

Huerta, a central figure in the farmworker movement and Chavez's longtime collaborator, told the newspaper that Chavez sexually assaulted her during the winter of 1966 in Delano, California. She said he drove her to a secluded grape field and raped her in a vehicle. Huerta, who was 36 at the time, said she did not report the incident because she feared the impact it could have on the movement and believed authorities would be hostile to union organizers.

In a statement later published on Medium, Huerta confirmed her account and explained her decision to speak publicly. "I have encouraged people to always use their voice," she wrote. "Following the New York Times' multi-year investigation into sexual misconduct by Cesar Chavez, I can no longer stay silent and must share my own experiences."

Huerta said she experienced two sexual encounters with Chavez in the 1960s. "The first time I was manipulated and pressured into having sex with him," she wrote. "The second time I was forced, against my will, and in an environment where I felt trapped." She said both encounters resulted in pregnancies and that she arranged for the children to be raised by other families.

Other women described alleged abuse when they were children. Ana Murguia told The New York Times that Chavez began molesting her when she was 13 and that the encounters continued for years. Debra Rojas said Chavez first touched her inappropriately when she was 12 and later had sexual intercourse with her when she was 15:

"The knowledge that he hurt young girls sickens me. My heart aches for everyone who suffered alone and in silence for years. There are no words strong enough to condemn those deplorable actions that he did. Cesar's actions do not reflect the values of our community and our movement"

Chavez, who died in 1993 and later received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, remains one of the most widely recognized figures in the Latino civil rights movement. Huerta said the allegations should not overshadow the broader struggle for farmworker rights.

"The farmworker movement has always been bigger and far more important than any one individual," she wrote. "My silence ends here."