Dolores Huerta On Chavez Allegations: The Movement Is Bigger Than Any Individual
Editor’s Note: On March 18, 2026, the New York Times published an extensive article—the result of years of investigative journalism—detailing accusations of sexual abuse by famed United Farm Workers leader Cesar Chavez. In the course of the Times reporters’ interviews, Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the UFW, said that she, too, was a survivor. Her statement to the labor movement and the public is printed below. In response to the allegations by Huerta and other women, the UFW has cancelled its upcoming celebration of Chavez’s birthday and the AFL-CIO and several labor organizations, along with government officials in California and other places, are calling for a full investigation into what happened decades ago. Huerta’s statement defends the farmworkers, the Latino community, and the broader labor movement against those who might try to use the alleged failings of an individual leader to undermine their collective achievements and rights. Her experiences and those of others also point to the unfinished work of securing and protecting the dignity and equality of women, including in spaces that are often assumed to be progressive or egalitarian. By Dolores Huerta Photos: Wikimedia Commons I am nearly 96 years old, and for the last 60 years have kept a secret because I believed that exposing the truth would hurt the farmworker movement I have spent my entire life fighting for. I have encouraged people to always use their voice. Following the New York Times’ multi-year investigation into sexual misconduct by Cesar Chavez, (above middle) I can no longer stay silent and must share my own experiences. As a young mother in the 1960s, I experienced two separate sexual encounters with Cesar. The first time I was manipulated and pressured into having sex with him, and I didn’t feel I could say no because he was someone that I admired, my boss and the leader of the movement I had already devoted years of my life to. The second time I was forced, against my will, and in an environment where I felt trapped…READ MORE
Black News 
Editor’s Note: On March 18, 2026, the New York Times published an extensive article—the result of years of investigative journalism—detailing accusations of sexual abuse by famed United Farm Workers leader Cesar Chavez. In the course of the Times reporters’ interviews, Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the UFW, said that she, too, was a survivor. Her statement to the labor movement and the public is printed below. In response to the allegations by Huerta and other women, the UFW has cancelled its upcoming celebration of Chavez’s birthday and the AFL-CIO and several labor organizations, along with government officials in California and other places, are calling for a full investigation into what happened decades ago. Huerta’s statement defends the farmworkers, the Latino community, and the broader labor movement against those who might try to use the alleged failings of an individual leader to undermine their collective achievements and rights. Her experiences and those of others also point to the unfinished work of securing and protecting the dignity and equality of women, including in spaces that are often assumed to be progressive or egalitarian.
By Dolores Huerta
Photos: Wikimedia Commons
I am nearly 96 years old, and for the last 60 years have kept a secret because I believed that exposing the truth would hurt the farmworker movement I have spent my entire life fighting for.
I have encouraged people to always use their voice. Following the New York Times’ multi-year investigation into sexual misconduct by Cesar Chavez, (above middle) I can no longer stay silent and must share my own experiences.
As a young mother in the 1960s, I experienced two separate sexual encounters with Cesar. The first time I was manipulated and pressured into having sex with him, and I didn’t feel I could say no because he was someone that I admired, my boss and the leader of the movement I had already devoted years of my life to. The second time I was forced, against my will, and in an environment where I felt trapped…READ MORE
