Minnesota lawmakers to introduce bill repealing Cesar Chavez Day after sexual abuse allegations emerge

Minnesota lawmakers say they will introduce a bill to repeal Cesar Chavez Day after multiple women accused the late farm union and civil rights leader of sexual abuse.

The allegations were first reported by the New York Times on Wednesday. Dolores Huerta, who cofounded the National Farm Workers Association with Chavez, is among his accusers. The 95-year-old said she felt the need to keep the alleged assaults secret because she "believed that exposing the truth would hurt the farmworker movement I have spent my entire life fighting for."

Cesar Chavez Day in Minnesota is celebrated on the leader's birthday, March 31. The bill to recognize the day was signed into law by former Gov. Mark Dayton in 2014.

"The pain and trauma survivors carry is a weight that can't be erased by replacing signs and names on buildings or repealing this state holiday, but it's a step forward for healing," said DFL Rep. María Isa Pérez-Vega, who says she will introduce the legislation to repeal the existing bill.

House DFL Leader Zach Stephenson said Democrats are "prepared to move quickly to pass this legislation."

Tributes to Chavez are peppered around the Twin Cities, including Cesar Chavez Avenue in Minneapolis, Cesar Chavez Street on the west side of St. Paul, and Academia Cesar Chavez, a public charter school.

Academia Cesar Chavez leaders said on Wednesday that the allegations were "profoundly concerning" and added that they are "taking time to fully understand the information that is emerging."