Cesar Chavez abuse allegations spur a movement to disavow the man — without erasing Latino history

But many are left to contend with how to erase the veneration of Chavez the man without obliterating the history of the struggle to improve the lives of Latinos, the country’s second largest ethnic and racial group. Scholars and experts say the challenge to separate Chavez from the cause is exacerbated by a Trump administration-led campaign to downplay, distort or deny key parts of the nation’s history, such as slavery and racism, the origins of the Mexican-American War, the recognition of Mexican American and Latino military leaders and efforts to improve racial and economic disparities that are now being dismantled as part of “woke” DEI practices. The play he had written illuminated the conflict between Chavez’s civil rights work and his problematic personality, documented in books such as “From the Jaws of Victory” and “The Crusades of Cesar Chavez.” Garcia said he was not aware of the sexual abuse allegations before The New York Times published its story this week.

Author: Suzanne Gamboa, Nicole Acevedo , Alicia Victoria Lozano

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