Dolores Huerta joins California Capitol rally opposing Trump administration food aid cuts
Renowned civil rights and labor activist Dolores Huerta joined a coalition of anti-hunger and immigrant rights organizations at the California State Capitol on Monday to oppose the Trump administration and advocate for vulnerable communities affected by federal food aid cuts under HR1, the GOP tax-and-spending law known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
Huerta's appearance comes roughly five months after she publicly disclosed that she was sexually assaulted by her United Farm Workers co-founder, Cesar Chavez.
In a March 2026 investigation by The New York Times, Huerta said she experienced two separate encounters with Chavez in the 1960s in which she felt pressured and forced to have sex with him.
Huerta's disclosure came after several women who were former UFW members accused Chavez of grooming and sexually abusing them. She addressed those allegations during Monday's Capitol event.
"I have always been a feminist and I've always supported women's rights," Huerta said. "I really would like to say that I would dispute any claim that I was not supportive of women. I have always been and continue to be."
The allegations have prompted a broader reassessment of Chavez's legacy in California.
California lawmakers moved to rename Cesar Chavez Day as Farmworkers Day following the allegations. Several universities and school districts have also removed or renamed monuments honoring Chavez and reconsidered how his role in the farmworker movement is taught.
Local governments, including within Sacramento County, have taken similar steps, including efforts to rename parks and other public spaces bearing Chavez's name.
Asked about those changes and the growing scrutiny of the UFW's legacy, Huerta defended the organization's historic work on behalf of farmworkers while acknowledging the controversy surrounding Chavez.
"I think you can't take away all of the good work that was done with the United Farm Workers," Huerta said.
She pointed to the conditions farmworkers faced before the labor movement, including a lack of access to water in the fields, employment protections and other basic workplace rights.
"There were so many other great things that came out and continue," Huerta said. "The fact that farmworkers have had no water, no battle in the fields. You know, they didn't have employment insurance, they didn't have any of the basic rights that workers had. And there were so many other great things that came out and continue."
Huerta said the United Farm Workers will continue its work advocating for collective bargaining rights for farmworkers, despite the ongoing scrutiny surrounding Chavez and the organization's history.
