Cesar Chavez accused of abusing ‘young women or minors,’ UFW says; Madison School Name in the mix
Cesar Chavez, the late farmworker organizer who became a national civil rights icon and co-founded the United Farm Workers, is accused of abusing “young women or minors,” the union said in a statement Tuesday.
“The UFW has learned of deeply troubling allegations that one of the union’s co-founders, Cesar Chavez, behaved in ways that are incompatible with our organization’s values,” the union said. “Some of the reports are family issues, and not our story to tell or our place to comment on. Far more troubling are allegations involving abuse of young women or minors. Allegations that very young women or girls may have been victimized are crushing.”
UFW says it does not have “firsthand knowledge” of any of the allegations and has not directly received reports of what they may be.
“However, the allegations are serious enough that we feel compelled to take urgent steps to learn more and provide space for people who may have been victimized to find support and to share their stories if that is what they choose,” the union said.
——-
In recent years, the Madison school district has renamed multiple schools. Some were renamed following concerns associated with former namesakes, such as James Madison Memorial High School and Thomas Jefferson Middle School, which are now Vel Phillips Memorial High School and Ezekiel Gillespie Middle School. Other schools have been renamed following new construction, such as Lori Mann Carey Elementary School, formerly Southside Elementary School.
The school district’s policy says it will consider only two renamings per school year. The School Board announced at its Monday meeting that it has begun the process of renaming Lindbergh and Elvehjem Elementary Schools.
Both schools’ renaming proposals were prompted by controversies surrounding their current namesakes.
——
More.
Madison’s Cesar Chavez Elementary.
US Drops Case Against Vang Pao; Madison Elementary School Was, At One Time Name for the Exiled Hmong Leader
