Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is expected to sign a proclamation Thursday to change César Chávez Day to Farm Workers Day in the city after bombshell allegations revealed that the late civil rights leader sexually abused girls and women, including fellow activist Dolores Huerta.
When Bass signs a proclamation to rename the last Monday of March to Farm Workers Day, she will be joined by women members of the LA City Council, the mayor’s office said.
The mayor will also work with community members and the LA City Council to begin explore their options of renaming a number of namesake landmarks across the city, according to her office.
“Real progress requires more than moments of reckoning – it demands sustained action to dismantle social, cultural, economic, and political structures that have hurt women throughout our history,” Bass said in a statement Wednesday. “Mr. Chavez’s crimes do not diminish the courage of farm workers and workers everywhere who fight for their rights, equality for Latinos, and a stronger nation for everyone.”
Los Angeles City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado whose district includes East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights with large Latino communities told NBC Los Angeles Wednesday that she supports the idea of renaming holidays, landmarks and public spaces. That could possibly mean the name change for César E. Chávez Avenue that runs from downtown Los Angeles to East LA.
“I am deeply troubled by the accounts about Cesar Chavez that have emerged. No legacy should be beyond scrutiny,” Jurado said in a statement to NBCLA. “These painful accounts mean that now is the time to rethink how we honor the farmworker movement and affirm our commitment to the ongoing struggle for workers’ rights.”
Los Angeles County is also expected to take quick action in effort to rip Chávez’s name from buildings and institutions.
LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn Wednesday called for César Chávez Day, March 31, to be changed to Farmworker Day in the county, saying she was “horrified” to learn civil rights leader Dolores Huerta may have also been sexually assaulted by Chávez.
LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis, who has worked closely with Huerta over the years, said she will introduce a motion to rename César Chávez Day. She said she will also put forward a proposal to explore changing the names of parks, streets, county facilities, monuments and other programs that bear Chávez’s name.
“I am deeply shaken by the abuse involving César Chávez, including the horrific account shared by my close friend, Dolores Huerta, and other survivors,” Solis said in a statement. “These allegations are grave and deeply painful, and they demand a thorough, transparent, and trauma-informed response.
Los Angeles County is also expected to start discussions with communities on whether to remove murals that Chávez’s imagery.
Here’s the list of local landmarks that were named after Chávez.
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