Dolores Huerta says Cesar Chavez assaulted her as abuse allegations surface

"Unfortunately, he used some of his great leadership to abuse women and children - it's really awful. This is a very heavy day and we are all shocked and all surprised. Dolores, she legitimately had no idea and thought she was the only one."

"Murguia said she was 13 when Chavez first summoned her to his office, where he locked the door, assaulted her and warned her not to tell anyone. She said the encounters continued for years. Rojas said in the report that Chavez first groped her when she was 12 and later had sexual intercourse with her when she was 15 in a motel during a union march."

Cesar Chavez, co-founder of the United Farm Workers and prominent civil rights figure, faces new sexual abuse allegations disclosed in a New York Times investigation. Dolores Huerta, his longtime ally and UFW co-founder, revealed that Chavez sexually assaulted her in 1966, an incident she had never previously disclosed publicly. Additionally, two women, Ana Murguia and Debra Rojas, reported that Chavez repeatedly abused them as minors during the 1970s when he was leading the farmworkers movement. Murguia was 13 when the abuse began, while Rojas was 12 when first assaulted and 15 when raped. The Times investigation involved interviews with over 60 individuals, triggering widespread fallout including cancellations of Chavez birthday celebrations and raising questions about his legacy despite his historical significance in Latino civil rights.

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