In the wake of a New York Times investigation detailing allegations of sexual abuse by labor leader Cesar Chavez—including testimony from Dolores Huerta—a chorus of feminist leaders, organizers and advocates are rallying around Huerta, centering her story and the broader truths it reveals.
Below is a collection of cross-movement statements: from labor leaders and unions, reproductive justice orgs, immigrant rights groups, scholars, writers and activists. Together, they reflect a shared commitment to believe survivors, confront harm within movements, and ensure that no legacy outweighs accountability.
“As a women-led organization that exists to empower communities, the allegations about abusive behavior by Cesar Chavez go against everything that we stand for. These disturbing allegations involve inappropriate behavior by Cesar Chavez with young women and minors, they are shocking, indefensible and something we are taking seriously.
“Recognizing how serious the allegations are, the UFW Foundation has cancelled all Cesar Chavez Day activities this month.
“For nearly 20 years, the UFW Foundation has worked to advocate, organize and provide direct services that protect and serve farm workers and immigrants—many of whom are women, and many of whom have shared their painful stories with us. We know this is difficult and painful and the healing and safety of survivors is of utmost importance to us.
“Today, with staff in California, Washington, Georgia, Michigan, New York, Illinois and Arizona, the UFW Foundation continues to empower communities and will continue to center its work on protecting the most vulnerable.
“If you or anyone that you know has been a victim of sexual assault, we encourage you to seek support.
The Feminist Majority Foundation (publisher of Ms.) board:
“We stand with Dolores Huerta.
“Dolores has been a member of the Feminist Majority Foundation board and a close friend for decades. We have witnessed her extraordinary courage and moral clarity firsthand—which is precisely why we are not surprised she is speaking now, and not surprised she bore this alone for so long. Both facts are consistent with who she is.
“The silence she kept for 60 years was not weakness. It was the impossible weight that survivors of sexual violence are forced to carry—often to protect others, often at profound cost to themselves. That she carried it while simultaneously building one of the most important labor movements in American history makes her courage almost incomprehensible.
“We also believe the women and girls who were harmed by Cesar Chavez. They deserve to be heard.
“What Dolores helped create—better working conditions and dignity for millions of farmworkers—stands on its own. One man’s actions cannot diminish what thousands of people built together.
“We will continue to stand with Dolores, with all survivors, and with the movements she has devoted her life to.”
Skye Perryman, CEO of Democracy Forward:
“She’s always been an icon, an inspiration and a shero. Today, in her 90s she continues to lead by speaking out. Her voice probably ensured that others’ stories were told. Thank you Dolores for your courage and for leading by example. You’ve always been a shining star for us at Democracy Forward and your light is even brighter today.
Jenn M. Jackson, a Black studies/feminist professor and author:
“As a survivor of SA and trafficking, the news about Cesar Chavez has been sitting in my spirit. I keep thinking about how all those girls and young women felt compelled to elevate this man and keep his secrets because of his position in movements. The silencing of survivors of SA is so pervasive.
“Abusers thrive on silence. They use decorum, respectability politics, shame, and deceit to manipulate others while abusing their targets.
“One of the most powerful things we can do is disrupt this cycle by telling the truth. Shoutout to Dolores Huerta for showing us how courageous we can be when we believe in ourselves.
“I want to gently suggest that Dolores Huerta’s truth-telling should encourage more folks to stop sheltering and abetting the abusers and harm-doers in our respective orbits.
“We have to call people out who do harm in the community, whether they look like us or not. This is how we build safer spaces for marginalized folks.”
Leslie Priscilla, @latinxparenting:
“Dolores is a mother,
She bore and raised many children.
Throughout her mothering, she held this trauma.
She held it for her children, as she held her children.
She held it for her community, as
she held her community.She held it for the movement, as
she held the movement.”
Maria Cardona, @realmariacardona, writer:
“It feels both fitting and just that the holiday bearing his name be revised to Farmworkers Day—El Día del Campesino—and that every boulevard, park, and street honor Dolores Huerta instead.”
From Ijeoma Oluo @Ijeomaoluo, activist and author:
“I’m absolutely gutted to read Dolores Huerta’s statement. … I cannot imagine the pain she’s had to live with for so many decades. I hope speaking out will bring some measure of peace and healing, but she deserves so much more than that. She deserves justice, and we need to investigate why so many women who are the heartbeats of our movements are made to pay so dearly and are failed by the community so deeply.”
From FEMINIST, a social-first nonprofit media platform focusing on intersectional feminism, @feminist:
“Dolores Huerta has always been the heart of the farmworkers’ movement, we will continue to stand in solidarity and fight alongside the movement.
“Her story is devastating. That she lived with this for so long, while the man who harmed her was celebrated, honored, and immortalized, lays bare how safeguarding movements and their leaders has too often come at the expense of women’s safety and truth. …
“Dolores Huerta, Ana Murguia, Debra Rojas, those who have shared their story anonymously, and those who have not shared their story, we believe you.
From Camille Hernandez, @camillewriter, author:
“Women of color will give our whole bodies to create better worlds, and what happens? We’re stuck choosing between liberating others or advocating for ourselves. We’re burdened under the egos and fables of men who used their power to disempower us. She was silent for decades as we believed what we did about him because she didn’t want to hurt the farmworker movement. She birthed children he forced into her womb. She convinced herself to endure it alone to free others. My God, this grief I howl.”
Monica Simpson, executive director of SisterSong: Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective:
“Dolores Huerta, Ana Murguía and Debra Rojas are showing us what real courage looks like. For decades, they kept secret the sexual abuse they experienced because of the power Cesar Chavez held and his legacy within the labor and civil rights movements.
“That kind of silence doesn’t just come from one person, it comes from systems and people in power who make women feel like speaking out will cost too much or threaten the very movement they helped build. Dolores and the other survivors gave so much to this work and deserve to be treated with respect and compassion.
“Reproductive justice demands that we have the human right to bodily autonomy and to live and work in safe, healthy communities. That has to include our movements, too.
We stand with Dolores Huerta, Ana Murguía, Debra Rojas and all survivors. We’re committed to building movements where no one has to carry harm or abuse in silence just to keep the work going. Our movements are bigger than one person, they belong to the people who build and sustain them. We have a responsibility to protect each other so everyone can be safe within them. That means choosing people over power and legacy, and creating spaces where safety, care, accountability, and dignity are the foundation of the work.”
Mónica Ramírez, founder of Justice for Migrant Women @mujerxrising:
“Like so many of you, I was shocked and dismayed to learn of the allegations against César Chávez. The reporting published today is deeply disturbing and painful to read. As a member of the farmworker community and the farmworker movement, I was heartbroken when I heard this news and have struggled to reconcile it with the legacy that has shaped so many of us. Farmworker community members have been subjected to a range of violations and harms at the hands of many people, which is why it is truly devastating to hear these allegations against a leader who fought to improve farmworker rights and protections. It feels incongruent with the memory that we have of him and, yet, both things can be true at the same time. We have to be willing to confront what has been reported, even when it is painful and challenges what we have long believed.
“My heart is with Dolores Huerta and the other survivors who have bravely come forward to share what they have experienced. We remain unwavering in our commitment to them and to all survivors. This situation is not easy for anyone, but it is certainly most difficult for the survivors who have spoken out. We also have to acknowledge that too often, harm within movements has been minimized or ignored, and we cannot repeat that pattern now.
“To the Chávez and Huerta families, the United Farm Workers union, and to every single person who makes the farmworker movement strong, I imagine that you are reeling. I am thinking of so many people who shaped this movement, including Dolores Huerta, and the many women whose contributions and experiences are part of its history. Movements are possible because of the millions of people who make them possible, not because of one person or one leader.
“This moment calls on all of us to ensure that people who have been harmed are supported and that accountability is not set aside to protect legacy. In this moment, let us all double down on protecting women and all people in farmworker communities, ensuring their safety, dignity, and rights are always upheld.
“Our responsibility now is to move forward with integrity: to seek truth, support survivors, and ensure that our work reflects the values we claim to uphold. May we remain loyal to the cause of justice. May we also remain focused on our work and our shared mission to serve the farmworker community, to provide education, information, and support during this difficult time and always.”
Dr. Jamila K. Taylor, president and CEO of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research:
“To our unrelenting warrior, Dolores Huerta. When I read your words yesterday, and the accounts of the other survivors of sexual, emotional, and psychological abuse at the hands of a man our country and movement once revered, my heart broke. It broke for the young woman, labor leader, and activist you were and are, who had to make impossible decisions and put your body, your life, and, dare I say, emotional well-being on the line in service of freedom.
“History shows us that women have done this time and again—working to liberate others from a broken system, all while being neglected, unprotected, and left to suffer in silence. And yet, for more than 60 years of your life, as social progress has been won, followed by enormous backlash, you have reminded us that as long as we are here, we have lessons to teach and a charge to keep. You declared, ‘I will not be silent.’
“By speaking your truth, you have given us permission and power to do the same. You have already given this work and world so much of yourself; even in your 96th year, you chose to give us what was yours to keep—more courage.
“As president of IWPR, representing the voices of all women who simply want a fair shot in this society—and as a woman whose life and work have been shaped by the courage and fortitude of generations before us—we stand in unwavering solidarity with you, Dolores Huerta.
“‘¡Sí, se puede!’
“Forever.
*
Survivors deserve support and options.
24/7 support:
- National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-HOPE or rainn.org
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE or thehotline.org
- StrongHearts Native Helpline: 1-844-762-8483
- Teen Dating Abuse Helpline: 1-866-331-9474
Local help: Search RAINN’s directory to find a nearby rape crisis center for free, confidential counseling, advocacy and support.
Medical care: You can go to an ER for a forensic exam (rape kit), even if you’re not ready to report. Advocates can support you through the process.Know your options: Hotlines and local centers can help with emotional support, safety planning and understanding your legal choices. Reporting is always your decision.
