Many Americans support renaming Cesar Chavez sites after abuse claims: Poll

A slight majority of Americans support repatriating sites dedicated to Cesar Chavez, after the late civil rights leader was accused of sexually abusing minors, according to a new survey.

The YouGov poll, released Friday, found that 51 percent of respondents believe these sites should be renamed, with 22 percent saying these locations should never have been dedicated to Chavez. Another 11 percent said they did not support the changes while 38 percent said they were unsure.

Asked of their opinion of Chavez, just 17 percent said they had a favorable or “somewhat” favorable view of him. Roughly 33 percent of respondents said the opposite while 50 percent were unsure, the survey found.

The New York Times published the accounts of two women this week who said Chavez sexually abused them when they were children. 

The United Farm Workers (UFW) said on Tuesday it would not host planned birthday celebrations for its co-founder after receiving “troubling allegations” of abuse. Cesar Chavez Day is observed annually on March 31. 

The recent poll also found that 13 percent of respondents have heard “a lot” about the claims, while 39 percent said they heard “a little.” About 48 percent said they had not heard anything about the alleged abuse.

Dolores Huerta, who co-founded UFW with Chavez, also revealed this week that she had two children resulting from being sexually abused by the late civil rights leader. Huerta said she concealed both pregnancies and secretly arranged for them to be raised in other families. 

Now 95 years old, Huerta said she could “no longer stay silent” following these new allegations. 

“I have never identified myself as a victim, but I now understand that I am a survivor –– of violence, of sexual abuse, of domineering men who saw me, and other women, as property, or things to control,” she wrote in a blog post.

The UFW noted that these abuse allegations “go against everything we stand for” in its Tuesday statement. 

“For nearly 20 years, the UFW Foundation has worked to advocate, organize and provide direct services that protect and serve farm workers and immigrants—many of whom are women, and many of whom have shared their painful stories with us,” the labor union said. “We know this is difficult and painful and the healing and safety of survivors is of utmost importance to us.”

Several states have also moved to cancel planned Cesar Chavez Day celebrations. 

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said Wednesday that the state “will not observe” the holiday and pledged to encourage the Texas legislature to “remove Cesar Chavez Day from state law altogether” in the next session. 

“Reports of the horrific and widely acknowledged sexual assault allegations against Cesar Chavez rightfully dismantle the myth of this progressive hero and undermine the narrative that elevated Chavez as a figure worthy of official state celebration,” Abbott wrote on X. 

Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) called the allegations “indefensible and a betrayal of the values that Latino leaders have championed for generations” in a post online following the Times report. 

“The fight for civil rights, fair wages, and dignity has always been carried forward by millions of Latino workers, organizers, and families,” Luján wrote. “Those are the values that we must uphold and fight for every single day.

“His name should be removed from landmarks, institutions, and honors,” the New Mexico Democrat continued. “We cannot celebrate someone who carried out such disturbing harm.”

The YouGov poll surveyed 11,678 U.S. adults from March 19-20 with a margin of error of approximately 1 percentage point.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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