Bill Clinton awarded Cesar Chavez the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, the year after the civil rights activist died in 1993. Barack Obama made Cesar Chavez Day a federal holiday and established the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument. Joseph R. Biden Jr. put a bronze bust of Mr. Chavez in the Oval Office.
None of them knew at the time about Mr. Chavez’s dark past, which emerged this week in a New York Times investigation that revealed allegations that the labor leader had sexually abused girls for years. Since the news broke on Wednesday, leaders in both parties across the nation have swiftly acted to remove Mr. Chavez’s name from schools, parks and holidays.
So far, none of the living former Democratic presidents who previously honored Mr. Chavez have spoken about the allegations, which also included that Mr. Chavez had raped Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers with him. Ms. Huerta was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Mr. Obama.
Former presidents typically respond slower to news events than current officeholders.
When Mr. Clinton awarded Mr. Chavez the presidential medal posthumously, in 1994, he said that “he was, for his own people, a Moses figure.”
In 2011, Mr. Obama issued a proclamation declaring March 31, which was Mr. Chavez’s birthday, Cesar Chavez Day to “honor Cesar Chavez’s enduring legacy.”
Mr. Biden not only put the bust of Mr. Chavez in the Oval Office, but also gave it a place of prominence behind the Resolute Desk. In a 2023 video, he said he had been “inspired” by Mr. Chavez, saying, “I was proud to place the bust of his likeness in my office so that you walk in my office, you can’t forget what he taught us.”
A spokeswoman for Mr. Obama and spokesmen for Mr. Clinton and Mr. Biden did not respond to requests for comment.
For decades, Mr. Chavez, who died in 1993 at the age of 66, has been celebrated as a civil rights champion and a seminal labor leader. He is one of the most prominent Latinos in American history, with schools and governments honoring his efforts to organize farmworkers and fight for Latino equality. Nearly 50 schools are named after Mr. Chavez in California alone.
The revelations that he sexually abused young girls caused outrage and a nationwide reconsideration of his legacy.
The mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, a Democrat, signed a proclamation removing his name from his namesake holiday and calling it instead “Farmworkers Day.” In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, said his state would not observe the holiday. “In the upcoming legislative session, I will work with Texas lawmakers to remove Cesar Chavez Day from state law altogether,” Mr. Abbott said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, a Democrat, has said he supported efforts of state legislators to change the name of a paid state holiday that is less than two weeks away.
The holiday is scheduled for March 31.
Shane Goldmacher is a Times national political correspondent.
The post Presidents Who Honored Cesar Chavez Have Yet to React to Abuse Allegations appeared first on New York Times.
