"I am nearly 96 years old, and for the last 60 years have kept a secret because I believed that exposing the truth would hurt the farmworker movement I have spent my entire life fighting for. As a young mother in the 1960s, I experienced two separate sexual encounters with Cesar. The first time 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 I had already devoted years of my life to. The second time I was forced, against my will, and in an environment where I felt trapped."
San Jose's Latino community confronts serious allegations that labor leader Cesar Chavez abused women and children. Dolores Huerta, a co-founder of the farmworkers movement who worked alongside Chavez, publicly disclosed that she experienced two separate sexual encounters with him in the 1960s—one involving manipulation and pressure, the other involving force. Huerta stated she remained silent for 60 years to protect the farmworker movement. Chavez, who was raised in San Jose, has been extensively honored through Plaza de Cesar Chavez downtown, annual celebrations, and a childhood home being converted into a community space. The Chavez family and related organizations have not responded to requests for comment regarding these allegations.
Read at San Jose Spotlight
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