The San Diego Unified School District on Tuesday is expected to begin a process to change the name of Cesar Chavez Elementary School in Southcrest in light of sexual abuse allegations made last week against the labor leader.
At its meeting Tuesday, the SDUSD Board of Education will be asked to approve a consent agenda item that would begin a lengthy formal process to change the school’s name. The action is the first step in a “structured, community- driven process designed to ensure transparency, inclusivity, and meaningful engagement.”
“As we change the name of César Chávez Elementary School, I look forward to a process that pulls together students, families, educators and community leaders to honor the history of the farmworkers movement, and to develop a name that inspires future generations of young people to know they can make a positive difference in this world,” said Board President Richard Barrera.
Typically, SDUSD policy prohibits more than one name change in a year, and Clairemont High last month changed the name of its mascot to comply with anti-derogatory law, so the board’s “consideration of this item reflects the significance of this moment and the need to respond thoughtfully to community concerns.”
SDUSD Superintendent Fabi Bagula said the allegations were “serious, concerning and deeply troubling.”
“Our first responsibility is to acknowledge and support anyone who may have been harmed,” she said. “As we move forward, including conversations about a school that bears his name, our focus will be on listening deeply to better understand the impact to the school community and how we might collectively move forward in a way that prioritizes student safety and a sense of belonging.”
Other groups and organizations had also initiated efforts to change formal names on buildings, parks and streets following the accusations of sexual assault detailed in a bombshell New York Times investigation about one of the most prominent Latino figures.
The report included accusations from two women that Chavez sexually assaulted them when they were young girls, and an accusation of rape by his UFA co-founder, Dolores Huerta.
The fallout was immediate. Even before the report was published, organizations long tied to the farm labor organizer issued statements expressing shock and disappointment as well as support for victims.
The Cesar Chavez Foundation said it was in a statement it was “deeply shocked and saddened,” while the United Farm Workers issued a statement stating that while it has not have any firsthand knowledge, it learned of “deeply troubling allegations” that Chavez, one of the union’s co-founders, “behaved in ways that are incompatible with our organization’s values.”
UFW also said it will not be taking part in any March 31 Cesar Chavez Day activities and urged people around the country to participate in immigration justice events or acts of service instead of the typical events in March to commemorate Chavez’s legacy.
“We cannot celebrate the legacy of someone who carried out such vile abuse. I’m praying for the victims who have carried the pain of this abuse for decades. They deserve nothing less than accountability, support, and to be heard,” Vargas said in a statement.
The Chavez family released its own statement that read: “We honor the voices of those who feel unheard and who report sexual abuse. This is deeply painful for our family. We hope these matters are approached thoughtfully and fairly.”
Born in Yuma, Arizona, Chavez grew up in a Mexican-American family that traveled around California picking lettuce, grapes, cotton and other seasonal crops. He died in California in 1993 at age 66.
Chavez is known nationally for his early organizing in the fields, a hunger strike, a grape boycott and eventual victory in getting growers to negotiate with farmworkers for better wages and working conditions.
In 1962, Chavez and Huerta co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which became the United Farm Workers of America.
Farmworkers are crucial to agribusiness in California, which grows nearly half the nation’s fruits, nuts and vegetables.
Chavez protested against poor pay and often-miserable work conditions. There were no toilets in the fields for workers, who weeded fields with short-handled hoes that forced them to bend over for hours at a time.
Bosses frequently ignored the health and wages of their workers, many of whom were Spanish-speakers in the country temporarily or illegally and had little political or legal clout to prevent abuses.
City News Service and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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