Farmworkers Day officially replaces Cesar Chavez after scandal

Phoenix just hammered another nail into Cesar Chavez’s coffin. 

The Phoenix City Council voted unanimously to permanently change Cesar Chavez Day to Farmworkers Day at the formal meeting on Wednesday. The holiday, which happens yearly on a Monday near April 6, was formerly named after the late Cesar Chavez. The labor leader’s reputation was in tatters this past spring after reporting revealed allegations of sexual assault and rape — including against underage girls. The name change is another step in Phoenix’s efforts to purge itself of anything that bears Chavez’s name. 

“Who we really need to recognize in this are the unsung heroes who did the work, who made the movement happen,” said City Councilmember Laura Pastor before the vote. “We need to honor those who make it possible for us to bring food to our table every night and every day. Who went to work while injured, who didn’t have access to health care, who split a single meal between many.” 

The allegations were first made public by the New York Times in a damning investigation. Civil rights leader Dolores Huerta then came forward in a Medium post where she detailed two times she was raped by Chavez, both of which resulted in pregnancies. Huerta, an organizer and activist, co-founded the National Farm Workers Association with Chavez in 1962.

The holiday was temporarily renamed to Farmworkers Day for the 2025 celebration this past March just after the scandal went public. This recent City Council vote made the name change permanent. 

The city tore down street signs and covered up park names bearing the now-forbidden activist’s name in the immediate aftermath of the bombshell report. 

“While Cesar Chavez was a well-known leader in the fight for labor rights, the movement belonged to so many other individuals who were leaders in their own right,” Mayor Kate Gallego said in a press release. “We will recognize and honor their collective struggles, sacrifices, and successes on Farmworkers Day.”

This summer the city renamed a library in Laveen to Prickly Pear Library. But not everything bearing his name has a new moniker. For example the plaza outside of the council’s chambers still sits nameless, maroon plaques covering up Chavez’s now disgraced name. It is unclear when the city plans on officially replacing the signs.

City Councilmember Betty Guardado told the audience in the council chambers that the vote was personal for her. She used to be a housekeeper and a union organizer. The workers she organized fought for safe working conditions, better wages and lunch breaks — basics that should be a given but weren’t. 

“This is exactly what the farmworker movement is about,” Guardado said. This holiday is for them. “This day belongs to the workers who shed their blood, sweat and tears.”