Dolores Huerta Breaks 60 Years of Silence, Confirms Sexual Abuse by César Chávez

Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers, publicly confirmed today that César Chávez sexually abused her twice in the 1960s, and that both alleged encounters resulted in pregnancies she kept hidden for 60 years.

The statement comes days after the New York Times published an investigation detailing widespread sexual misconduct by Chávez, including assaults on girls as young as 12.

Huerta, who turns 96 next month, said the first encounter was coercive. "I was manipulated and pressured into having sex with him, and I didn't feel I could say no because he was someone that I admired, my boss and the leader of the movement," she wrote. The second time, she said, she was forced against her will.

She said she arranged for both children, born in secret, to be raised by other families. Over the years, she built relationships with them, and they are now close with her other children, though no one knew the full circumstances of their birth until recently.

Huerta said she stayed silent to protect the farmworker movement. "Building the movement and securing farmworker rights was my life's work," she wrote, adding that she "wasn't going to let Cesar or anyone else get in the way."

She said learning that Chávez hurt young girls drove her to finally speak. "The knowledge that he hurt young girls sickens me. My heart aches for everyone who suffered alone and in silence for years."

Huerta said she no longer sees herself as a victim. "I now understand that I am a survivor, of violence, of sexual abuse, of domineering men who saw me, and other women, as property."

Survivors and those affected by sexual violence can find resources at the Dolores Huerta Foundation website.