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St. Paul's Academia Cesar Chavez: Allegations of icon's sexual abuse "profoundly concerning"

By
Jason Rantala
Jason Rantala
Reporter
Jason Rantala joined WCCO as a reporter in June 2023. He's a Minnesota native and is thrilled to be telling the stories of those in his hometown.
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Jason Rantala

/ CBS Minnesota

Civil Rights icon Cesar Chavez left his mark on the city of St. Paul, but allegations of sexual abuse of underage girls detailed in a recent article have left a mark on a once-stellar reputation.

School leaders for Academia Cesar Chavez in St. Paul say the allegations against Chavez are deeply troubling.

"These developments are profoundly concerning," the school said in a statement. "We take any allegations of harm, especially those involving young people and children, with the utmost seriousness."

The statement goes on to say that "we are taking time to fully understand the information that is emerging and will continue to follow developments closely." 

Dolores Huerta, who cofounded the National Farm Workers Association in the 1960s, wrote on Instagram Wednesday that she was "manipulated and pressured into having sex" with Chavez. Two of her non-consensual "sexual encounters" led to pregnancies, which she said she carried out in secret.

The 95-year-old said she kept the assaults quiet because she "believed that exposing the truth would hurt the farmworker movement I have spent my entire life fighting for."

The UFW said it is abstaining from participating in Cesar Chavez Day activities, which is celebrated on his birthday, March 31. 

Minnesota law also recognizes the day as Cesar Chavez Day.

"The recent statement shared by Dolores Huerta, in which she shares she experienced sexual harm from César Chávez, is profoundly painful and unsettling. This moment is especially difficult for many within the organizing, labor, and immigrant rights movements, communities that have long drawn inspiration from the historic struggles led during that era," COPAL said in a statement. "Movements do not belong to one individual. They belong to the people, to the farmworkers, families, women, and communities who continue to organize for dignity today."

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