The City said it is "processing potential next steps" regarding a community center and statue bearing Chávez's name, as a local nonprofit canceled its March 30 celebration.
City Responds to Chávez Allegations; Latino Network Postpones Annual Event
The City said it is "processing potential next steps" regarding a community center and statue bearing Chávez's name, as a local nonprofit canceled its March 30 celebration.
The César Chávez monument on Riverside's Main Street Mall depicts Chávez standing above a group of farmworkers in the fields. The words "Sí Se Puede" — Spanish for "Yes, we can" — are inscribed in the plaza pavement at the statue's base.
The City said March 18 it is "processing potential next steps" regarding a community center and a Main Street Mall statue named for César Chávez, after Dolores Huerta — co-founder of the United Farm Workers alongside Chávez — alleged he sexually abused her.
Huerta, 95, said Chávez "was someone that I admired, my boss and the leader of the movement I had already devoted years of my life to."
"The City of Riverside is aware of the reports involving the alleged conduct of the late Cesar Chavez," the City said. "Like a lot of Californians, we are shocked by the reports and processing potential next steps."
The Latino Network of Riverside also announced it is postponing its annual César Chávez celebration, originally scheduled for March 30. In a letter to supporters dated March 17, Latino Network President Alex Cortez said the decision was made "with a great deal of thought, consideration, and discussion with our board."
"We have recently learned of allegations about Chávez that will cause many of our community members to feel conflicted," Cortez wrote. "These developments may be difficult to process and triggering for individuals."
Latino Network, which has held its annual celebration for 26 years, said it will announce a new date for the event. The rescheduled gathering will shift focus from Chávez to the United Farm Workers movement — El Movimiento — that he helped build alongside Filipino and Mexican American organizers.
"Our focus this year will solely reflect the spirit of that movement," Cortez wrote.
The rescheduled event will also continue its tradition of awarding scholarships to youth, recognizing unsung community heroes and celebrating Latino culture through the arts.
"The plight of our farm workers still continues," Cortez wrote. "The pipeline for our community to access education is still leaky. Our community is in need of healing. Placing emphasis on our youth and their education is how we honor the movement and the resistance."
Councilmember Chuck Conder proposed the honor to preserve the legacies of residents who shaped Riverside, naming the couple who restored the Mission Inn as its first recipients.
