Blog Details

AMY GOODMAN: Fallout is continuing to develop after a Novel York Cases exposé published the gradual civil rights icon and farmworker organizer Cesar Chavez abused and raped multiple girls and girls over the direction of an extended time.

Chavez has long been one in every of essentially the most notorious Chicano figures in American history. He co-based the United Farm Workers and led historic strikes, including the Delano grape strike and boycott. President Clinton awarded Chavez the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994, one one year after his dying. Limitless faculties and streets possess been named after him. Cesar Chavez Day is notorious yearly on March thirty first, his birthday.

However his legacy is now being reconsidered, following the damning Novel York Cases exposé. The Cases share focuses in phase on Ana Murguia and Debra Rojas. Murguia mentioned Chavez first assaulted her when she used to be 13 and he used to be forty five. Rojas mentioned Chavez raped her when she used to be 15. He had first groped her when she used to be just 12. Both Murguia and Rojas were the daughters of longtime organizers in the motion.

Dolores Huerta, who co-based the United Farm Workers with Chavez, additionally published to The Novel York Cases that she, too, had been raped by Chavez. She told the Cases he coerced her into intercourse on one occasion in 1960 and raped her in 1966. Both encounters resulted in pregnancies, which Huerta hid by wearing saggy dresses, sooner than arranging for other families to clutch the girls.

After The Novel York Cases printed its exposé, Dolores Huerta, who is now 95 years mature, spoke to Maria Hinojosa, the Pulitzer Prize-a success host of Latino USA. In a 2nd, Maria will join us. However first, let’s flip to a short excerpt of their dialog.

MARIA HINOJOSA: Are you concerned that folk will verbalize, “How is it probably that the luminous Dolores Huerta no se dio cuenta, that she didn’t price?” Are you concerned that you just’re going to possess to retort to that ask?

DOLORES HUERTA: Neatly, I concentrate on that’s somewhat classic. I concentrate on that girls, when they carry out arrive forward with their reports, rather than getting the roughly pork up that they need, they gain attacked, or they’re no longer believed. And we’ve seen this happen for the length of history. We’ll just possess to tackle that if it does happen. Hopefully it obtained’t. However if it does, we’ll just possess to tackle it.

And the staff know that they are no longer by myself.

AMY GOODMAN: Dolores Huerta additionally spoke to Maria Hinojosa about her response to discovering out that Cesar Chavez had assaulted and raped younger girls.

DOLORES HUERTA: I mean, right here is only so devastating to take note of that somebody that we, all people admired and revered and notion so highly of, that he would, you realize, carry out the leisure like that. That used to be just in point of fact, in point of fact arduous to take, and it’s peaceable very arduous to assignment, I concentrate on, no longer only for myself, but for all people that knew and revered Cesar, the volunteers, so many participants that sacrificed, you realize, to know that he had that gloomy facet of him. And I concentrate on that just speaks to the fact that, you realize, we possess a — that there is a lack of admire for girls and girls in our society, and that right here is so prevalent, you realize, that — and the males gain away with this the total time. And we know that’s one thing that desires to — desires to in truth be addressed in our society.

AMY GOODMAN: That used to be Dolores Huerta talking to Latino USA host Maria Hinojosa, who’s becoming a member of us now in studio. Maria is a Pulitzer Prize-a success journalist and founding father of Futuro Media.

Thanks so great for being with us, Maria. That is so totally painful at each degree. You had the first interview with Dolores, who is now in hiding?

MARIA HINOJOSA: Neatly, we were requested no longer to uncover her procure 22 situation. She’s no longer at home, because as rapidly because the suggestions broke, there possess been journalists there. So, I don’t even know where she is.

AMY GOODMAN: So, The Novel York Cases worked on this yarn for five years.

MARIA HINOJOSA: Mm-hmm.

AMY GOODMAN: And they didn’t arrive Dolores with the easy assignment of what came about to Dolores — is that factual? — but to retort to what came about to the different girls and girls.

MARIA HINOJOSA: Upright. Interestingly, that’s the formulation they approached her, used to be to keep up a correspondence about other cases. After which that’s when she published that no longer decrease than twice she had been assaulted by Cesar Chavez.

AMY GOODMAN: Both main to children.

MARIA HINOJOSA: Yes, two girls. Dolores used to be very like a flash, after I requested her — I mentioned one thing like, “You gave them away?” She used to be like, “I didn’t give them away. They’re my daughters.” So she used to be very like a flash to extinguish it sure. I mean, Dolores has 11 children. She loves her children. That is her — always she’s talking about her children. So she wished to extinguish it sure, like, “These are my children.”

AMY GOODMAN: Four of them with Cesar Chavez’s brother, her longtime home partner.

MARIA HINOJOSA: And in truth, Amy, right here is arduous. We went — I’ve interviewed Dolores on multiple cases, factual? And Dolores is an particular person that has — I mean, you realize her. She’s bought vitality. She’s always out until 4 in the — 4 a.m. She loves to head dancing. She loves jazz. And so, to hear her in this roughly tell of being broken used to be very, very bright. She’s no longer that roughly person. She’s no longer outdated. And she used to be like, “I don’t are making an strive to head on camera.” Her folk in most cases mentioned she’s been crying all day. That is when The Novel York Cases dropped the share. She used to be reading it for the first time, like the remainder of us.

AMY GOODMAN: Let’s wander support to your exclusive interview with the civil rights icon Dolores Huerta, who talks about her rape by Cesar Chavez.

DOLORES HUERTA: Neatly, in both cases, I felt like I used to be roughly trapped, you would verbalize, and I used to be no longer looking ahead to those incidents to happen. I felt I used to be by myself. I didn’t in point of fact possess someone nearby that I will possess known as for support or reached out to. And the formulation he area that up, it used to be to extinguish sure we were isolated, somewhat great, you realize? So, I mean, that’s somewhat great what came about. It never would possess came about in the first tell if I had no longer had this monumental admiration for him. And he used to be my employer. He used to be my boss, you realize?

MARIA HINOJOSA: Did you ever confront Cesar Chavez about his attacks on you?

DOLORES HUERTA: You already know what? I never did. And I declare that’s the one thing that I’m sorry about, because, God is conscious of, had I performed that, maybe somehow it would possess steer clear off other girls and girls.

AMY GOODMAN: That’s Dolores Huerta. You’re talking to her. Discuss this. And I am so moved as you focus on with Dolores Huerta, you level to that you just, yourself, used to be raped, Maria, when you happen to were 16.

MARIA HINOJOSA: Yeah, no, I’ve talked about my possess rape, because I’m a public persona. I’ve performed the therapy. I in point of fact possess an very ideal husband. And so, I’m like, I would prefer to keep up a correspondence about this. However in that 2nd, Amy, when — because, but again, I’ve known Dolores for a in point of fact long time. So, after I had to claim to her, “Look, Dolores, you and I are in point of fact in the the same boat, we’re both survivors of rape.”

I mean, Dolores, I’m in a position to handiest take into consideration, is having any such bright time. It took me a in point of fact long time to connect shut that I had been raped after I used to be 16. So, no longer handiest is Dolores realizing all of this, but, you realize, she’s seen how rapidly folk are shifting — as against the Epstein recordsdata. She’s seen how folk are shifting to paint over the murals, duvet the statues, commerce the names of streets, etc. And Dolores believes in the motion. So, no longer handiest is she coming to terms along with her possess assaults, she’s coming to terms with the fact that the motion and the person that she admired as phase of the motion is in truth being lined up, disappeared.

AMY GOODMAN: That is but every other clip of your exclusive interview with Dolores Huerta — we’re going to flip to it — when you happen to requested her why she persisted to stand by Cesar Chavez after he had raped her.

DOLORES HUERTA: Neatly, I concentrate on the supreme intention that I’m in a position to level to is when we possess to stumble on on the sea of all of the things that we completed for farmworkers, you realize, the fact that they’ve the fundamental human desires when they’re working, you realize, the things that they were deprived of, you realize, the bogs, the ingesting water, the comfort classes, you realize, to be treated as respectable human beings available in the fields. And we’re talking about hundreds of thousands of farmworkers. And I concentrate on my staying peaceable and no longer revealing this, I don’t know if that contributed or didn’t contribute, but in my suggestions, when folk verbalize, “Why didn’t you — why didn’t you permit? Why didn’t you say folk?” well, right here is why, because I felt that my coming out and announcing what occurred would hurt the motion.

AMY GOODMAN: Maria Hinojosa, proceed with that put together of notion. Who would she flip to? The police who victimized them? The union, which used to be fighting for thus many participants, even supposing he used to be the prime of it and he used to be preying upon these girls and girls? The daughters of the different union leaders, he would groom them from 8 or 9 years mature and then rape them when they were 13, 14, 15.

MARIA HINOJOSA: So, what we carry out know — factual? — is that Cesar Chavez used to be a extraordinarily strategic thinker. That’s why he used to be ready to invent a motion, in conjunction with Dolores Huerta. He used to be very strategic. The scare, Amy, is to connect shut that this man used to be additionally very strategic in how he used to be atmosphere out to abuse girls, children and girls. As Dolores says, he place her in the blueprint back — factual? — where she admires him, she idolizes him, and therefore, she finds herself by myself with him, because she relied on him. And that, I concentrate on, is in point of fact, in point of fact painful to connect shut, is that he used to be being very strategic on how he went about this.

Now, Dolores announcing, you realize, “I didn’t stumble on this. I’m in a position to’t concentrate on that this used to be taking place,” when you happen to would possibly maybe perhaps maybe be a survivor of rape, you realize, you concentrate on you’re the supreme one, like throughout the man who raped me, factual? I’m like, “Neatly, I need to possess been the supreme one.” That’s how your suggestions works, factual? You’re like, “Oh, this person can’t be available doing this to all people else.” If truth be told, that’s what’s being published now. And whether or no longer other girls will arrive forward, I concentrate on that’s what we’re waiting to demand.

AMY GOODMAN: Neatly, Dolores Huerta had a message for other survivors.

DOLORES HUERTA: I just are making an strive to claim that I concentrate on the fact that the girls survivors who had this happen to them as they were girls, that they’ve had the courage to attain out. And God is conscious of, I in point of fact applaud them so great, because I concentrate on their courage is giving — has given me the courage additionally so that you just can attain out, because, in plenty of cases, they’ll need accountable the girls. Some folk will strive accountable me.

AMY GOODMAN: You already know, I concentrate on the Dolores Huerta Foundation and, apparently, the Cesar Chavez Foundation, which says they pork up the survivors and besides they concentrate on them, possess area up support channels for girls to attain forward. I mean, he died an extended time ago. We don’t know the intention many participants were victimized.

MARIA HINOJOSA: Look, Dolores mentioned one in every of the clarification why she didn’t arrive forward, why girls don’t arrive forward, is because they know that they’ll be puzzled, they’ll be attacked. You already know, “What did you carry out to extinguish this happen?” Efectivamente that’s what’s taking place factual now with Dolores. There are folk which would possibly maybe perhaps maybe be announcing, “Procure no longer name the streets after Dolores Huerta. Procure no longer extinguish statues after Dolores Huerta. She need to possess spoken up. She carries the burden of the load of this. She’s” — you realize, I’ve even heard other Latinas verbalize she’s accountable. And what I posted on my social media used to be that when you happen to’re no longer a rape survivor, you carry out no longer know the intention bright it is to attain forward. That is precisely why. So, you realize, that’s — it’s sexual assault. It’s no longer one thing that you just roughly are making an strive to wave around and verbalize, “Oh my god, I’m a survivor.” It’s no longer one thing that you just’re glad with, as it were.

AMY GOODMAN: Let’s focus on Ana Murguia and Debra Rojas, who — it is so painful — now in their sixties, level to what came about to them. If truth be told, isn’t it Ana Murguia who is phase of that notorious articulate poster of Cesar Chavez, who is strolling? Used to be this the Delano strike?

MARIA HINOJOSA: Upright, exactly. And — 

AMY GOODMAN: She used to be 13 there.

MARIA HINOJOSA: Upright. And I concentrate on that she’s additionally the one who wrote the letter, a little bit letter to Cesar Chavez.

AMY GOODMAN: Most attention-grabbing little lady writing, flowery stationery.

MARIA HINOJOSA: You already know, I mean, I archaic to write on that roughly stationery in the 1960s and ’70s. And she writes this letter. And so, folk, but again, will verbalize, “Neatly, so she liked him, so” — and besides you do no longer understand. Whilst you possess somebody in vitality like this, that’s what they carry out. They manipulate.

AMY GOODMAN: And when you happen to’re 13 years mature.

MARIA HINOJOSA: And when you happen to’re 13 years mature. And it’s Cesar Chavez. You already know, folk were already making an strive up to him. I mean, he used to be a indispensable chief. However you would possibly maybe perhaps maybe’t demand little girls to attain forward in this 2nd.

AMY GOODMAN: So, let’s focus on what this implies for the motion. I mean, marches, celebrations, real through Texas and Arizona, California, possess been canceled around his birthday, March thirty first. What this implies going forward and renaming Cesar Chavez Day? I concentrate on Governor Hobbs in Arizona did this, Farmworker Day.

MARIA HINOJOSA: Upright, additionally in California. You already know, Amy, it be indispensable to declare how spoiled the blueprint back used to be for the farmworkers for Dolores to claim, “I’m going to connect this secret. Treasure, things are so spoiled for my community that I’m going to sacrifice myself and my silence.”

However you then stumble on at what we’re living through in 2026, no longer just through Latino farmworkers, but through Latinos and Latinas in the total United States coming below attack by this administration. So, it’s no longer a shock that folk settle silence. I mean, Latinos and Latinas are the fastest-rising demographic personnel. We are the fastest-rising personnel of voters. We are, in point of fact, maintaining the formulation forward for democracy in our palms.

So, you can’t push aside a complete motion. Yes, it used to be led by Caesar Chavez, but he didn’t march from Delano to Sacramento on his possess. There possess been 10,000 folk that ended up marching. And Dolores — arduous for folk to hear, factual? Ensuing from Dolores is all regarding the motion. And she says, you realize, used to be — I requested her, “Used to be it value it to connect your silence?” And she mentioned, “Yes, because stumble on at what we completed. We did so great.” That is what Dolores goes to connect on to.

AMY GOODMAN: Let’s wander to Dolores Huerta talking to you regarding the legacy of the United Farm Workers, the union she co-based with Chavez.

DOLORES HUERTA: I concentrate on we just possess to stumble on on the accomplishments that were made, the things that farmworkers possess today that they never had, the item that inspired so many participants to alter into enthusiastic, you realize, those that volunteered, folk that contributed, the 19 or so many hundreds of thousands of those that didn’t aquire grapes to extinguish it happen, that it used to be all of these folk coming together to stand up for farmworkers. And so, we are in a position to’t verbalize, “Neatly, Cesar did it all,” because many those that volunteered are the ones that made it happen, you realize? So I concentrate on that’s what we possess to stumble on to. He had — now we know that he had this gloomy facet, but on the the same time, we carry out know that there possess been many, many participants that were helped.

AMY GOODMAN: As we proceed to keep up a correspondence about Cesar Chavez, talk regarding the allegations that he coopted the motion from Filipino farmworkers and advocated for the deportation of undocumented workers whom he known as “wetbacks.”

MARIA HINOJOSA: Cesar Chavez is a extraordinarily refined person, factual? He did manufacture this motion, in conjunction with Dolores Huerta, which changed American labor history, for sure. However when you happen to stumble on the entirety of his arc of lifestyles as an activist, he used to be controversial. Despite the fact that Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta changed my lifestyles as a little bit Mexican kid rising up in Chicago — factual? — in the gradual ’80s and ’90s, I turned a big critic of Cesar Chavez thanks to the formulation that he used to be dealing with journalists. If truth be told, Marcos Bretón from the — I concentrate on it be The Sacramento Bee, is additionally writing regarding the fact that Cesar Chavez, in the ’80s and ’90s, turned in point of fact belligerent with journalists. He used to be no longer cooperative. He used to be phase of this irregular, almost cult known as [Synanon], I concentrate on, that used to be doing drug medication. So, there are a entire lot of of us who distanced ourselves. I mean, I wasn’t shut to him in any admire. However just this conception of, like, he is a extraordinarily defective human being. He loves vitality. And anytime that you just stumble on a human being who is self-smitten by their possess vitality, it be indispensable to — it be indispensable to ask that. Unfortunately, in our country, we’re roughly living with that factual now.

AMY GOODMAN: And this coming out now on the time of the wide immigrant crackdown, deportations.

MARIA HINOJOSA: Yeah, but the item is, is that Latinos and Latinas, I’m hoping, thanks to this, roughly model what you carry out when one thing like this occurs, factual? You become energetic. You don’t hand over mute. So I concentrate on it’s very attention-grabbing that folk are announcing, “Wow! Look how rapidly Latinos and Latinas are taking this on.” And, I mean, it’s arduous to claim the notice “erase,” factual? However they are. They’re erasing Cesar Chavez. They’re painting over murals. So, many participants are announcing, “Wow! They’re doing this. What about what’s taking place with the Epstein recordsdata? What regarding the fact that no one’s been arrested? What regarding the fact that we possess a felon who is the forty seventh president and is charged on sexual abuses?”

So, shall we stumble on — and Dolores always says — and besides you realize this. She always says every crisis is an opportunity to handle. So I requested her, “What’s the chance?” She mentioned, “That is a sickness, and we possess to take it down.” Will this, in point of fact, take down males who are pedophiles and sexual abusers and rapists? I don’t know. However it is for sure a gap.

However I relate, Amy, Latinos and Latinas are the voters of this country. They helped elect Donald Trump. So, thanks to this, how is it going to commerce? I mean, I’m fascinated. I don’t concentrate on that we are in a position to place this in a box and shut it. I concentrate on that right here’s a motion that goes to commerce. And Dolores, I’m terrified about her. I mean, she’s 95 years mature. That is such an inconceivable emotional toll on her, so I am terrified about her. However I concentrate on once she gets her bearings, she’ll doubtlessly become a indispensable chief on the ask of sexual assault and rape.

AMY GOODMAN: And we’ll put up our interviews along with her over time at democracynow.org. Maria Hinojosa, thank you so great for being with us, Pulitzer Prize-a success journalist, founder of Futuro Media, host of Latino USA. We’ll link to the uncover’s contemporary episode titled “’It Used to be Time’: Dolores Huerta’s First Interview After ‘Devastating’ Cesar Chavez Repeat.”

Coming up, we wander to Lebanon, where Israeli attacks possess killed over a thousand folk and displaced bigger than 1,000,000. Lend a hand in 20 seconds.

[break]

AMY GOODMAN: “Nunca Más (Never Again)” by La Santa Cecilia in our Democracy Now! studio.