Michigan State University is renaming a coming event orignally meant to honor United Farm Workers co-founder César Chávez, following a New York Times report that detailed allegations of sexual abuse against the civil rights icon which was published Wednesday.
The event, orginally titled the “César Chávez and Delores Huerta Commemorative Celebration,” has been renamed to the ”Farmworker Appreciation Commemorative Celebration,” according to a university website promoting the event. The event will still be held on March 25 at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, MSU Spokesperson Amber McCann wrote in an email to The State News.
“Following recent allegations, the committee renamed the event to better align with its focus on centering farmworkers and MSU’s commitment to fostering a safe, respectful and inclusive environment for all,” the website now reads. “Updates to related pages will be made over the next several days.”
The name change, McCann wrote, is meant to reflect “the university’s gratitude for farmworkers as valued, contributing members of our community” and better align with the spirit of recognizing and appreciating farmworkers.
McCann also emphasized the importance of acknowledging farmworker history, writing that MSU remains “focused on recognizing the history, challenges, resilience, and ongoing progress of farmworkers across Michigan and the country.”
Chávez is considered one of the most consequential figures in Mexican American history, playing a significant role in establishing the farmworker’s union and securing rights for them. He visited campus multiple times throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and the university library’s collection of Chicano and Boricua research materials is named after him.
The Times’s investigation included interviews with two women who alleged that Chávez sexually abused them for years when they were girls, from 1972 to 1977. The report noted that “Elements of their stories” were corroborated by documents from Chávez and people close to him.
Dolores Huerta, who co-founded United Farm Workers with Chávez and whose name was included in the original title of the MSU event, told the Times that Chávez raped her in 1966, though the outlet could not independently verify her claim because she had told no one of the incident until recent weeks.
McCann, in her email, wrote that the university is reviewing all other references to Chávez that exist on campus.
In a statement released late Wednesday evening, the Culturas de las Raza Unidas — one of the largest Latino student groups on campus — said that it “acknowledges and condemns the uncomfortable realities towards allegations concerning Cesar Chavez's behavior towards women and minors.”
“We stand with Ana Murguia. We stand with Dolores Huerta. We stand with All Victims” the statement continued.
Support student media!
Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
Discussion
Share and discuss “MSU renames event honoring César Chávez following sexual abuse allegations” on social media.
