By Armando García Álvarez
As of March 2026, it will become increasingly difficult to
write about the life and legacy of Mexican American leader César Chávez, who
was born on March 31, 1927. This year, he would have turned 99 years old. I say
this because of recent reports alleging that Chávez abused minors and even one
of his closest allies in the farmworkers’ labor struggle: Dolores Huerta.
Within hours of these allegations being published by The New
York Times in mid-March, along with statements attributed to Huerta, Chávez’s
legacy appeared to begin vanishing from public life. Streets, murals, and
symbolic references started disappearing. This phenomenon is deeply troubling,
as the Mexican immigrant and Mexican American communities risk losing one of
their most prominent figures in the fight against discrimination, isolation,
and racial persecution. The danger lies not only in immediate erasure, but in
the eventual disappearance of his history from books, public discourse, and the
collective consciousness.
What follows is a reflection on Chávez’s legacy, also
grounded in my personal experience working alongside him between 1981 and 1992.
All people have had figures who embody the struggle for
social justice—leaders who rise in defense of the most vulnerable: the
marginalized, the invisible workers, those whose labor sustains societies, yet
who rarely receive recognition. Some of these leaders achieve progress; others
are silenced along the way. But all leave a mark.
German playwright Bertolt Brecht expressed it clearly:
“There are men who fight one day and are good. Others fight for a year and are
better. Some fight for many years and are incredibly good. But those who fight
all their lives: those are indispensable.”
César Chávez was one of those indispensable figures. Born in
1927, he died in 1993 at the age of sixty-six, leaving behind a profound legacy
for agricultural workers in the United States—both for his generation and those
to come.
Decades after his death, his voice still echoes across many
parts of the country, although in others there have been attempts to erase him
from history. Even so, thousands continue to honor his name through marches,
mobilizations, and the ongoing struggle for comprehensive immigration reform.
Chávez became the defining figure of farm labor in the
United States. He achieved what many had failed to accomplish for years:
building a strong union, an organization capable of shaping a movement that
transformed labor conditions for thousands of workers.
Those of us who had the opportunity to work closely with him
witnessed his unwavering commitment to nonviolent struggle for social justice.
In a time when many advocated armed confrontations as the only path to change,
Chávez chose peaceful resistance and economic pressure.
His most powerful strategy was the boycott. Through this
tool, he forced large agricultural corporations to yield under public pressure.
It was an effective economic weapon that directly impacted the interests of the
powerful.
Through this movement, American society began to recognize a
painful truth: that the food placed on the table each day is harvested by
people who often do not have enough to feed themselves. Thousands of farm
workers brought this message to major cities, urging consumers not to buy
products stained by exploitation.
Chávez maintained that the suffering of farmworkers has no
price, yet he succeeded in forcing growers to acknowledge that suffering by
improving working conditions.
The movement he built planted the seeds of the progress we
see today among Hispanic communities across the United States. Without his
teachings and example, it would have been impossible for immigrant and Latino
populations to develop the social awareness and organization needed to navigate
a hostile and discriminatory society.
In 1984, Chávez stated that many individuals in positions of
influence were, in one way or another, connected to the farmworker
struggle—whether by participating in boycotts or joining protests.
Today, although he is no longer physically present, his
slogan “Sí se puede!” lives on. It has transcended generations and borders,
even being adopted in political campaigns such as that of former President
Barack Obama. Symbolic sites such as La Paz in California, where Chávez is
buried, have been nationally recognized, and his presence endures even within
the highest levels of U.S. power, as demonstrated when former President Joe
Biden placed a bust of Chávez in the Oval Office.
His legacy must not be forgotten. It must be studied,
debated, and understood in all its complexity. New generations of workers—many
of them immigrants from Latin America—continue to face harsh conditions. Some
will inherit Chávez’s victories; others will continue to endure exploitation
and discrimination.
Yet the tools to resist and move forward already exist.
There is no need to reinvent the struggle—only to reclaim it with clarity,
organization, and determination.
The battles for immigration reform and labor justice can be
won without violence. That was the path Chávez charted.
Following his example does not mean ignoring current allegations
but rather understanding that history is complex—and that judgment must be
guided by reflection, evidence, and responsibility.
Because in the end, what people need is not only memory—but
conscience.
Armando García Álvarez
Founder of Nuestra América Online Radio. He has worked as a correspondent for
the Spanish Agency EFE and the Hispanic Press News Agency in Washington, DC. He
has been a columnist for Conexión Hispana in Texas, a contributor to Latino
Leaders, a reporter for La Prensa and Rumbo newspapers in San Antonio, Texas
and as an editor for multiple media outlets in California and North Carolina.
He also served as Director of Public Relations for the United Farm Workers
Union in California.
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