LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Labor activist Dolores Huerta is speaking on camera for the first time about her allegations against farmworker movement leader Cesar Chavez, describing decades of private pain and her decision to finally share what she says happened to her.
It’s sad to think that he had this dark side to him.
Labor activist Dolores Huerta
Huerta, 95, sat down with ABC News’ John Quiñones to recount what it was like to keep the experiences a secret.
“It was very hard. It was very hard to keep this but, you know, I think I am building on the courage of these young women that they had the courage to come out and say what happened to them, and God knows what they’ve suffered … so it was time. It was time,” she said.
Dolores Huerta is speaking on camera for the first time about her allegations against Cesar Chavez, describing decades of private pain.
According to Huerta, Chavez pressured her to have sex with him when she was in her 20s and later raped her.
She said she had two children as a result of the encounters and arranged for both to be raised by other families.
The allegations surfaced publicly following a New York Times investigation that reported Chavez had groomed and sexually abused women and minors.
In her interview, Huerta reacted to hearing the stories of others, saying it sickened her.
“Even more than sick, it’s devastating,” she said. “It’s devastating because Cesar spoke about and practiced the nonviolent movement. Well, what could be more violent than that, you know? To think that somebody that we looked at as our hero and our leader, you know, it’s pretty horrible.”
Huerta said after hearing allegations from other women, she wanted to support them. She said that she intends to continue advocating for farmworkers’ rights as the public reassesses Chavez’s place in history.
When she was asked whether the revelations could damage Chavez’s legacy, Huerta said: “Well, I would hope that his legacy would live on in the things that were accomplished. The improvements that were made, and it’s sad to think that he had this dark side to him.”
Several planned Cesar Chavez Day celebrations across the country have already been canceled.
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