(AP) — California legislative leaders announced Thursday they are going to rename César Chavez Day as Farmworkers Day in light of the sexual abuse allegations against the labor rights icon.
In 2000, California became the first state to designate Chavez’s birthday as a day to honor the civil rights leader. State employees were granted a day off and schools were required to teach students about his legacy and his involvement in the labor movement in California.
The leaders of the California Legislature said Thursday they would pass a bill renaming the holiday Farmworkers Day before the end of the month.
The legislation would need Gov. Gavin Newsom's approval. He said Wednesday he was open to changing the name of the holiday but made no commitment.
Labor rights activist Dolores Huerta revealed she was among women and girls who say they were sexually abused by Chavez, the long-admired Latino icon, while he led the United Farm Workers union.
Huerta said in a statement released Wednesday that she stayed silent for 60 years out of concern that her words would hurt the farmworker movement.
The stunning allegations against Chavez, who died more than three decades ago, drew immediate calls to change events and memorials honoring the man who in the 1960s brought to light the struggles of field workers.
