We believe Dolores Huerta! California universities must stop honoring Cesar Chavez now.

The petition to University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) leaders reads:

We call on UC and CSU leadership to immediately remove Cesar Chavez's name and likeness from all buildings, programs, scholarships, murals and statues across both university systems, and to rename these spaces and honors after Dolores Huerta and the farmworkers whose collective labor defined the farmworkers' movement. A New York Times investigation has revealed credible allegations that Chavez sexually abused women and girls, including raping Huerta. Continuing to honor Chavez at institutions that are supposed to be safe havens for women and survivors sends a devastating message: that a man's legacy matters more than the survivors he harmed. We deserve better. Your students do, too. We urge you to take action.

For generations, Cesar Chavez has been honored as one of California's greatest heroes — a man who embodied progressive values and devoted his life to justice and dignity for farmworkers.

But now, a bombshell investigation by The New York Times shattered that story. Debra Rojas and Ana Murguia told the Times that they were groomed and sexually abused by Chavez as children. Hours later, civil rights leader Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) union with Chavez, and Filipino-American labor leaders Larry Itilong and Philip Vera Cruz revealed that she was raped by Chavez, too. We believe them. 

Now is the time to demand that public universities in California, the birthplace of the farmworkers' movement, stop lionizing Chavez. Remember, no matter where you live, your input matters here. California university alumni live in every state across the country, and so do survivors and allies who want to end sexual violence.

Sign the petition now. Demand that the University of California (UC) and California State Universities (CSU) remove Cesar Chavez’s name and likeness from buildings, programs, and student centers––and replace them with Dolores Huerta and the farmworkers who powered the movement for worker rights.