The San Diego Unified School District Board of Education will consider beginning a formal process to change the name of César Chávez Elementary School on Tuesday in light of shocking allegations made last week against the labor leader.
During Tuesday's board meeting, the body will hear an item on the consent agenda to begin the process — effectively ensuring approval. According to the district, 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.
A district administrative regulation usually limits the district to one school name or mascot change each year, but the board will consider the item regardless, reflecting the significance and severity of the moment. If approved, the process will include the formation of a naming committee and opportunities for the community to provide input.
"By initiating this process, we are creating a pathway for open dialogue, community voice, and thoughtful consideration about the future of this school," said Trustee Dr. Sharon Whitehurst-Payne. "Our commitment is to ensure that every voice is heard and that this process is inclusive, transparent, and centered on students and families."
Chávez allegedly sexually assaulted female followers as young as 12 in the 1970s, and raped United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta, now 95, in 1966, according to an explosive New York Times investigation released last week.
San Diego not only has a major thoroughfare in Barrio Logan named after Chávez, but the San Diego Unified School District has an elementary school in Southcrest named after him.
SDUSD Superintendent Fabi Bagula told City News Service 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."
The San Diego Community College District, which has a César E. Chávez Campus in Barrio Logan, along César E. Chávez Parkway, said it is reviewing a potential renaming of the campus.
"These reports are deeply concerning, and our thoughts are with everyone impacted," a district statement read. "SDCCD is committed to providing a safe, respectful environment for all, and we do not tolerate sexual misconduct or abuse of any kind. As we assess current and new information, SDCCD will prioritize feedback from our community and upholding our values of safety, dignity, and respect for all."
The story was published one day after the UFW and the César Chávez Foundation announced that they will abstain from honoring the late labor leader on this year's state holiday on March 31, citing "disturbing allegations."
The Times said its story was based on interviews with more than 60 people, including top Chávez aides at the time, his relatives and former members of the UFW.
The story quotes a woman who says Chávez took her into his office when he was 45 and she was 13, kissed her and pulled her pants down. She said dozens of sexual encounters followed over the next four years, though she says none involved intercourse.
Another woman says she was 12 when Chávez groped her breast, and 15 when he arranged to have her stay at a motel during a march through California and had sexual intercourse with her.
Both women were the daughters of organizers who had marched in rallies alongside Chávez, according to the Times. The story claims that Chávez used other women in the farm labor movement for "sexual gratification."
The Times said accounts of alleged abuse of the two then-minors were independently verified through interviews with those they confided in decades ago and also in more recent years. Elements of their stories were also corroborated in documents, emails, itineraries and other writings from union organizers, supporters of Chávez and historians, the story says.
Huerta, who will turn 96 on April 10, told the newspaper that Chávez drove her to a secluded grape field in Delano, California, in 1966 and raped her in the vehicle. She said she never reported the attack out of concerns for police hostility toward Chávez and the labor movement, and because she feared she wouldn't be believed.
"Unfortunately, he used some of his great leadership to abuse women and children — it's really awful," Huerta told the Times.
The charges came as a shock to admirers of Chávez, long considered one of the leading American civil rights figures of the 20th century, and a Latino icon.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said the accusations are "shocking" and "disturbing."
"Our first concern must be with the survivors who have come forward and those who were unable to do so. Their courage in speaking out — often at great personal cost — ought to be recognized, respected, and supported," he said last week. "The hard-fought progress the farmworker-rights movement has achieved over the past six decades is a collective accomplishment. Generations of organizers and workers have advanced dignity, safety, and fairness in the fields, improving lives across our state and nation. That legacy belongs to the movement and to the people who carried it forward."
Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California, called the allegations "heartbreaking" and "horrific."
"I stand with the survivors, commend them for their bravery in sharing their stories, and condemn the abhorrent actions they described," Padilla said in a statement last week. "The survivors deserve to be heard. They deserve to be supported. They deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. There must be zero tolerance for abuse, exploitation, and the silencing of victims, no matter who is involved. Confronting painful truths and ensuring accountability is essential to honoring the very values the greater farm worker movement stands for — values rooted in dignity and justice for all."
Last Tuesday, the UFW and the César Chávez Foundation issued separate but related statements stating that they will not organize or participate in events celebrating César Chávez Day, which is typically observed on the same day as his birthday.
Chávez died in 1993 at age 66.
