'Shattering' and 'unsettling:' Cesar Chavez abuse allegations stun S.F. leaders

"On Wednesday morning, the New York Times published a bombshell report five years in the making that Chavez had sexually abused at least two underaged girls between 1972 and 1977. Labor icon Dolores Huerta, 95, also told the Times on the record that Chavez sexually assaulted her twice - and that two of her children were, secretly, his."

"I just hate it for Dolores. I hate it for the survivors. I hate it for all of us who really believed in him, and to hear this is very unsettling. Most importantly, they said, Chavez's alleged actions should not undermine the farmworker movement and the ongoing fight for labor rights."

"I love Dolores Huerta. We've grown up with these names in our households - Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez. It pains me to know that she's endured this."

A bombshell New York Times report exposed that Cesar Chavez, the late United Farm Workers founder, sexually abused at least two underage girls between 1972 and 1977. Labor icon Dolores Huerta, 95, confirmed on record that Chavez sexually assaulted her twice and fathered two of her children without her public acknowledgment. The revelations deeply affected San Francisco leaders and Latino community members who had championed Chavez's legacy, including former Supervisor Tom Ammiano who led the 1995 effort to rename Army Street in his honor. Despite their shock and disappointment, community leaders emphasized that Chavez's alleged actions should not undermine the farmworker movement or the ongoing fight for labor rights.

Read at Mission Local