Gov. Greg Abbott directed all Texas state agencies Wednesday to stop observing César Chávez Day and vowed to pursue legislation to remove the March 31 holiday from state law, as six Dallas City Council members called for removing Chávez's name from the city calendar and exploring a rename of downtown's César Chávez Boulevard.
The moves follow a New York Times investigation that outlined years of alleged sexual harassment and abuse tied to Chávez, including allegations involving two minors.
Abbott said he plans to make the change permanent by working with the Legislature during the 2027 session to remove the holiday from state law altogether. The Mexican American Legislative Caucus called the allegations "deeply disturbing" and said it is ready to lead efforts to remove the holiday, while also calling for it to be replaced with one honoring labor leaders like Dolores Huerta.
Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers with Chávez, broke her silence Wednesday in a lengthy public statement. She said Chávez sexually assaulted her on two separate occasions, each resulting in pregnancies, with the children eventually raised by other families. Huerta said she kept the assaults secret because she "believed that exposing the truth would hurt the farmworker movement."
In Dallas, Council Members Adam Bazaldua, Jesse Moreno, Jaime Resendez, Laura Cadena, Paula Blackmon, and Gay Donnell Willis requested that references to Chávez be removed from the city's 2026 and future calendars. The six also recommended in a memo that the city initiate a broader discussion to rename César Chávez Boulevard, the downtown stretch approved by council in 2010.
A City of Dallas spokesperson said City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert will work with the City Council on their decision to review the holiday, and that "city staff will continue to monitor developments and support City Council members on whatever decision they make."
Ramiro Luna, who was part of the original César Chávez Blvd Task Force that helped get the street renamed, said the community must now reassess how it honors Chávez. "I feel disheartened, I feel betrayed," Luna said, adding he is now calling for the street to be renamed — and suggesting Dolores Huerta as a potential honoree.
The fallout has extended well beyond Dallas. Events in Houston, San Antonio, and Corpus Christi have been canceled. El Paso announced it would observe March 31 as Community & Labor Heritage Day. The United Farm Workers said it would not participate in any César Chávez Day activities, calling the allegations serious enough to warrant urgent steps to support those who may have been harmed.
Chávez, who died in 1993, co-founded the National Farm Workers Association with Huerta in 1962, the organization that later became the United Farm Workers. In 2014, President Barack Obama proclaimed March 31 a national César Chávez Day.
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