Newsom Says He's Open to Changing Name of Cesar Chavez Day, Says 'Farmworker Movement Is Greater Than One Man'

"It's very shattering to hear these revelations. 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."

"It's been hard to absorb this. All of us are processing it. For young kids, this is hard. Their identity is tied to their school, to this icon that they thought one thing of, and how we process that shift."

Bombshell revelations have emerged documenting sexual assault allegations against iconic labor activist Cesar Chavez, including abuse of two young girls in the 1970s and assault of his longtime activist partner Dolores Huerta. These disclosures are triggering widespread reconsideration of Chavez's legacy across California, where his name appears on numerous schools and streets, including Cesar Chavez Street in San Francisco. Former SF Supervisor Tom Ammiano, who championed renaming Army Street after Chavez following his 1993 death, expressed shock and sympathy for survivors. Governor Gavin Newsom acknowledged the difficulty of processing these revelations, particularly for schoolchildren whose identities are connected to institutions bearing Chavez's name. Cesar Chavez Day, established as a California holiday in 1995 and recognized in multiple states, may also face changes through legislative action.

Read at sfist.com