An annual Tucson event named after César Chávez will move forward this weekend — under a new title.
It comes as abuse allegations surface against Chávez, one of the country’s most prominent figures in the farmworkers’ rights movement. Recent reports, including statements from United Farm Workers and the César Chávez Foundation, describe accusations that Chávez sexually abused women and minors.
The Tucson event, formerly known as the César Chavez & Dolores Huerta March & Rally, will now operate under a different name: Comunidad y Labor Unity Fair.
In a statement Monday, organizers also announced the cancellation of the event’s usual march and car show, though a rally is still set for Saturday at Rudy Garcia Park.
Eva Carrillo Dong co-chairs the coalition for the annual Tucson event. Speaking to AZPM Tuesday, she said organizers felt the march was “too closely associated” with Chávez’s name, leading to the cancellation.
But moving forward with Saturday’s rally, she said, would allow community members to access a range of resources for labor and immigrant rights — including free “know your rights” cards for interactions with ICE agents and discussions about wage theft.
“That's why we're going to continue to have this event,” she said. “It's about the people and it's about the struggles, not about one single man.”
Vice Mayor Lane Santa Cruz said she was disappointed to learn about the Chávez allegations Tuesday.
“The extent of the harm will take time to fully reckon with, and I support Tucson groups that are choosing to pause this year or shift their focus toward centering labor organizing,” she added in a statement.
Chávez died in 1993, meaning the allegations against him would stretch back several decades.
Farmworkers union pulls out of César Chávez Day events##
Chávez and Huerta were among the co-founders of the United Farm Workers of America, the nation’s oldest and largest farmworkers’ union.
In a statement Tuesday, UFW called the allegations “crushing” and said it was working to establish a confidential channel of communication “for those who may have experienced harm caused by Cesar Chavez during the early days of the UFW’s history.”
“The United Farm Workers will not be taking part in any César Chávez Day activities,” the union added.
Throughout the country, events affiliated with Chávez are reconsidering their approach. A César Chávez March in San Antonio, Tex. was canceled amid the allegations, according to the San Antonio Report this week. A similar event in Corpus Christi was also canceled.
After Tucson organizers heard about the allegations, Carrillo Dong said, they spent hours discussing next steps.
“We needed to come to decisions. ‘What are we going to do? This is what they're doing in Texas. This is what they're doing in San Francisco.’ … We spoke for over two hours, back and forth, back and forth,” she said.
Rebranding and changing the event’s schedule — instead of just canceling — created more logistical challenges for Saturday’s rally, Carrillo Dong admitted.
“We said, you know, ‘If we just cancel everything, it'll make our lives much easier, because all we have to do is cancel,” she said with a laugh. “But then we said: ‘No, we can't do that. We can't take the easy way out.’”
