Texas Values, an advocacy organization for Christian and family values, is calling for the Austin Independent School District (ISD) to cancel its upcoming celebration of civil rights activist César Chávez and replace it with an observance of Good Friday in light of recent claims that Chávez committed rape and child sex abuse.
The organization stated in a March 18 press release that Austin ISD is planning to observe March 31 as a day off from school in honor of Chávez and Dolores Huerta, a labor rights activist who co-founded the National Farm Workers Association with Chávez in 1962. According to the district’s calendar, an annual march in honor of Chávez is scheduled for March 28.
The district’s website says the school holiday celebrates Chávez and Huerta’s “legacy of justice, equality, and empowerment for working communities.”
However, The New York Times reported March 18 that Chávez has been accused of sexually abusing several children and raping women, including people who worked closely with him.
Mary Elizabeth Castle, Texas Values’ director of government relations, called the abuse allegations “shocking” and said she hopes that “the truth can be revealed.”
“My heart goes out to the victims who may have been harmed by this level of abuse, especially the young girls,” she said. “That said, Austin ISD should consider cancelling their observance of Cesar Chavez/Dolores Huerta Day and have kids go to school on that day, until more is discovered about the allegations.”
Texas Values proposes that instead of treating March 31 as a holiday, Austin ISD should allow students and staff to take off April 3, which is Good Friday. According to the release, Austin ISD made César Chávez Day a non-negotiable holiday last year, but left Good Friday off the school calendar.
“Cesar Chavez Day should not have been an automatic cancellation of Good Friday,” Castle stated.
Breaking allegations cast Chavez in new light
AP News reported that Huerta released a statement March 18 saying that Chávez sexually abused her and several other women and girls. She said she did not come forward with her claims for 60 years because she feared she would hurt the farmworker movement, which she described as her “life’s work.”
According to AP News, Chávez is recognized as a Latino icon and has been celebrated for years, especially in the Southwest. His birthday, March 31, was proclaimed a federal holiday by former President Barack Obama in 2014.
The allegations have prompted cities across the nation to cancel events scheduled on March 31 in his honor and offer solidarity with the survivors of abuse. According to AP News, before the claims became public, the César Chávez Foundation had requested several celebrations in his honor in San Francisco, Texas, and Arizona to be canceled.
Following the publication of the claims, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, said the state will not observe March 31 as a holiday. According to AP News, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said he “wouldn’t commit to making any changes to the state holiday” since he said the day honors the farmworker movement.
“It’s about labor. It’s about social justice, economic justice, racial justice,” he said.
In Arizona and New Mexico, mayors of major cities have decided to review whether Chávez’s name should be removed from landmarks, buildings, and streets.