New York Times investigation reveals civil rights icon Cesar Chavez sexually abused girls and women within his farm labor movement for decades. Reporters Manny Fernandez and Sarah Hurtes spent five years uncovering allegations from seven women, including co-founder Dolores Huerta, forcing California to rename its Cesar Chavez Day and remove his name from public spaces. Cesar Chavez groomed adolescent girls at his movement headquarters by isolating them, building trust through emotional support, then escalating to sexual contact starting when victims were 12-13 years old. Victims remained silent for 50-60 years due to fear of backlash from Chavez supporters, belief that no one would believe them, and feeling their personal trauma was insignificant compared to the farm labor movement's larger cause.