© 2026 Western New York Public Broadcasting Association

140 Lower Terrace St.
Buffalo, NY 14202

Toronto Address:
130 Queens Quay E.
Suite 903
Toronto, ON M5A 0P6


Mailing Address:
Horizons Plaza P.O. Box 1263
Buffalo, NY 14240-1263

Buffalo Toronto Public Media | Phone 716-845-7000
BTPM NPR Newsroom | Phone: 716-845-7040
Differing shades of blue wavering throughout the image
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

What allegations against Cesar Chavez mean for farm worker movement, legacy

American union leader Cesar Chavez (1927 - 1993) attends a Labour Party press conference in the UK, 17th September 1974.  (Les Lee/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Les Lee/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
American union leader Cesar Chavez (1927 - 1993) attends a Labour Party press conference in the UK, 17th September 1974. (Les Lee/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Cesar Chavez, the labor organizer and champion of farmworker rights, has been accused of sexually abusing two girls in the 1970s, and Dolores Huerta, his co-founder of the United Farm Workers, according to an investigation by The New York Times.

Cynthia Orozco, professor emeritus at Eastern New Mexico University and historian of Chicano studies, joins us to discuss what this means for the farm worker movement and Chavez’s legacy.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2026 WBUR

Here & Now Newsroom