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Meanwhile, Gavin Newsom—who has previously praised Chavez as a model of activism—has remained noticeably silent on the controversy. That silence is drawing scrutiny, particularly in California, where Chavez is honored annually with a state holiday marking his birthday.
Chavez, who died in 1993, helped build what would eventually become the United Farm Workers and has long been revered in Hispanic communities as a champion of the working class. But the new claims paint a far darker picture of the man behind the movement.
One of the most shocking accounts comes from Ana Murguia, who told investigators she was just 13 years old when a sexual relationship with Chavez began—one that she says lasted for years. Murguia, now 66, described the emotional toll as devastating. “I wanted to die,” she said, revealing she attempted suicide before turning 15.
Another accuser, Debra Rojas, also now 66, said she endured abuse over a similar period in the 1970s. The damage, she explained, lingered for decades. “I picked up a drinking habit. A panic attack habit. A bad relationship habit,” she said. “I feel like he’s been a shadow over my life. I want him to stop following me around. It’s time.”
The investigation also includes explosive claims from Dolores Huerta, a towering figure in the labor movement herself. Huerta alleged that Chavez raped her in 1966 in Delano, California, after driving her into a vineyard. She also described earlier encounters where she felt pressured into sexual activity.
Huerta, now 95, said she kept silent for decades out of fear that exposing the truth would derail the farmworker movement she had dedicated her life to building. In a written statement, she explained the difficult choice she faced.
“I carried this secret for as long as I did because building the movement and securing farmworker rights was my life’s work. The formation of a union was the only vehicle to accomplish and secure those rights and I wasn’t going to let Cesar or anyone else get in the way,” she wrote. “I channeled everything I had into advocating on behalf of millions of farmworkers and others who were suffering and deserved equal rights.”
She added that she felt trapped by Chavez’s position of authority. “The second time I was forced, against my will, and in an environment where I felt trapped,” Huerta wrote. She also revealed that she became pregnant twice following encounters with Chavez and ultimately arranged for both children to be raised by other families.
“I had experienced abuse and sexual violence before, and I convinced myself these were incidents that I had to endure alone and in secret,” she said.
The fallout continues to spread. The United Farm Workers announced it would not commemorate Chavez’s upcoming birthday, calling the accusations “troubling.” This marks a dramatic shift for an organization so closely tied to his legacy.
Chavez’s family has responded cautiously, issuing a statement acknowledging the seriousness of the claims without taking a definitive position. “As a family steeped in the values of equity and justice, we honor the voices of those who feel unheard and who report sexual misconduct,” they said. “These allegations are deeply painful to our family.”
As more details emerge, a growing chorus of critics is asking whether America has been too quick to elevate political figures without fully examining their past. For many, the question now is no longer just about Chavez—but about how history itself should be judged when new, troubling truths come to light.
