NM Latina leaders seek change beyond street signs following Cesar Chavez sexual assault allegations

by Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico

This story was originally published at Source New Mexico, a NMPBS partner.

More than a dozen Latina elected officials gathered Friday in Albuquerque to express solidarity with Dolores Huerta, 95, the New Mexico-born labor leader who recently accused the late United Farm Workers co-founder Cesar Chavez of sexual assault.

The officials described Huerta as a friend and mentor during the news conference at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, which sits near Avenida Cesar Chavez in Albuquerque. They expressed awe at her courage and strength in coming forward. They also voiced outrage for Chavez and the misogynistic culture that enabled his alleged abuse.

Huerta “came forward at a time when she knew her voice would matter the most, just as she always has,” said New Mexico Rep. Diane Torres-Velásquez (D-Albuquerque). “She is someone we love. She’s like a mother to many of us.”

The New York Times this week published a detailed account of Chavez’s alleged sexual abuse, including of Huerta and others involved with the Chicano farmworkers’ movement. Huerta also issued a statement saying Chavez twice forced her into sex, resulting in two children she arranged to have raised by other families.

Klarissa Peña, the Albuquerque City Council president, said Friday she was convening a working group of local public officials tasked with identifying and renaming buildings or streets with Chavez’s name on them.

But Rep. Marianna Anaya (D-Albuquerque) said she hopes Huerta’s strength in coming forward inspires broader societal change.

“Our community must look at itself honestly, not to destroy what was built, but to build something that can finally hold the weight of everybody in it, something that doesn’t require women to choose between their bodies and their belonging,” she said. “That’s the culture change that we are calling for today — not a new street sign, a new culture.”

Anaya, who recently helped launch a legislative truth commission investigating Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes in New Mexico, said questions remain about who else knew about Chavez’s alleged abuse, along with why they protected him.

“It’s not comfortable when we ask it of Epstein, and it’s surely not comfortable as we ask it today,” she said. “But that’s the only question that will lead to real change.”

Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero (D-Albuquerque) said Huerta trained her in the 1960s as she began work as a union organizer. Through tears, she said her “dear friend” deserves an outpouring of solidarity and love.

“Let us show her our love by keeping her and all the other brave women In our daily dedication and commitment to fight against a system that perpetuates and legitimizes sexual abuse, sexual harassment, sexual assault, violence and racism,” she said. “And let us fight against the system that allows the Trumps, the Epsteins and all predators, whether dead or alive, to escape facing the consequences of their actions.”

This story was originally published at Source New Mexico, a NMPBS partner.