In her first public remarks since The New York Times published an investigation alleging sexual abuse by Cesar Chavez, labor leader Dolores Huerta spoke with Maria Hinojosa on the Latino USA podcast about her own experiences and the wider fallout.
The Times report included accounts from two women who say Chavez sexually abused them as children in the 1970s. Huerta, 95, who co-founded the organization that merged into the United Farm Workers and coined the slogan “Si se puede,” told Hinojosa that she, too, was raped by Chavez in the 1960s and that those assaults resulted in two pregnancies.
Huerta said she kept the assaults secret for roughly six decades because she feared exposing the truth would damage the farmworker movement she helped build. She described feeling unable to refuse Chavez the first time because he was a leader she admired and worked under, and said a later assault occurred when she felt trapped and could not resist.
Reflecting on the emotional impact, Hinojosa noted the shock of the revelation; Huerta said she had been alone at the time and had no close support. She also expressed regret that she never confronted Chavez directly, saying she wonders whether speaking up then might have prevented harm to others.
Huerta has told The New York Times that two daughters were born from the assaults and were raised by other family members. In the interview she said she maintains proud, strong relationships with her children and said that is one thing she feels good about today.
The Chavez family issued a statement calling the allegations “deeply painful,” expressing sympathy for the survivors and asking for privacy as they process the report. They said they remain committed to the causes Chavez and his colleagues advanced. CBS Los Angeles has reached out to the Chavez Foundation for comment after Huerta’s interview.
While acknowledging what she called Chavez’s “dark side,” Huerta emphasized that the movement’s gains for farmworkers should not be erased. She praised other women who have come forward for their courage, and said she has not spoken with the other alleged victims. Asked how she is coping now, Huerta pointed to a strong support system and reiterated her commitment to continuing the movement’s work: that progress toward respect and equity—especially for women—must go forward despite these revelations.