A Cesar Chavez memorial has been covered with a new message as officials rush to scrub the disgraced union leader’s name from dozens of monuments and public spaces.
The site in Stockton, California, one of many honoring the late founder of United Farm Workers, was slapped with a sign reading: “Believe women and children.”
It came just hours after Chavez, who died in 1993, was accused of raping and molesting two minor girls as well as his union co-founder Dolores Huerta.
Chavez’s name and image are now tagged for removal from scores of roads and other public sites.
At Fresno State University, officials threw a black tarp over a statue of Chavez and are planning to remove the monument entirely.
Los Angeles is moving to cancel Cesar Chavez Day — set for March 31, when Cesar’s birthday has been celebrated statewide as an official holiday since 2000.
Under a proclamation set to be signed Thursday by LA Mayor Karen Bass, the holiday will be renamed Farm Workers Day.
Officials are also evaluating what to do with numerous landmarks, schools and murals bearing Chavez’s name and image.
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the California Latino Legislative Caucus both said they will pursue name changes.
“We stand committed to work toward renaming streets, post offices, vessels, and holidays that bear Chávez’s name to instead honor our community and the farmworkers whose struggle defined the movement,” the Congressional Hispanic Caucus said in a statement.
“I am deeply shaken by the abuse involving César Chávez, including the horrific account shared by my close friend, Dolores Huerta, and other survivors,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis in a statement to NBC Los Angeles.
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