'It was my cross to bear.' Reconciling with Cesar Chavez's abuse

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Consider This from NPR

Episode Title: 'It was my cross to bear.' Reconciling with Cesar Chavez's abuse
Air Date: March 20, 2026
Host: Ilsa Chang
Guest: Maria Hinojosa (journalist, host of Latino USA)
Key Figure Discussed: Dolores Huerta

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Episode Overview

This episode examines the seismic fallout from a New York Times investigation that revealed Cesar Chavez—iconic labor leader and co-founder of the United Farm Workers (UFW)—sexually abused women and girls, including his long-time organizing partner Dolores Huerta. Huerta, now 95, has chosen to publicly share her story for the first time after decades of silence, sparking a profound reckoning among labor activists, Latino communities, and broader society.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Shattered Legacy of Cesar Chavez

• [00:21] The Times' investigation, built on women’s testimonies and corroboration from Chavez’s inner circle, revealed a pattern of sexual abuse.
• Public reaction was immediate: events celebrating "Cesar Chavez Day" were canceled, and communities began reconsidering institutions and streets named after him.
  • Governor Gavin Newsom: "We're just going to have to reflect...on a farm workers movement and a labor movement that was much bigger than one man and celebrate that." ([01:00])

2. Dolores Huerta’s Decision to Speak Out

• Dolores Huerta, who relentlessly worked for farmworkers’ rights with Chavez, revealed she was abused by him.
• The episode centers on her conversations with Maria Hinojosa, where Huerta describes how Chavez pressured her into sex in 1960 and raped her in 1966. Both instances led to pregnancies, and Huerta felt compelled to hide the children.
  • Ilsa Chang: "Dolores Huerta told the New York Times that she felt pressured to have sex with Cesar Chavez while on a work trip in 1960. Then, six years later... Chavez raped her." ([03:20])

3. Dolores Huerta’s Emotional State

• [04:12] Maria Hinojosa describes Huerta as “broken”—a marked contrast from her usual optimism and energy.
  • Maria Hinojosa: "She is the most positive, energetic, 90 something year old that I have ever met... So it was really painful to hear her in this shock and emotional turmoil."
• Huerta, like others, was learning new details of Chavez’s abuse as the Times story broke—emphasizing her own sense of shock and betrayal.

4. Sacrificing Herself for the Movement

• [05:36] When Hinojosa asks why Huerta stayed silent for over 40 years, Huerta reflects on the stakes of her actions:
  • Dolores Huerta: "That would have been the end of the movement pretty much at the very, very beginning...it was my personal pain, it was my personal problem...because it was my cross to bear." ([05:36])
• Ilsa Chang underscores the heartbreak: Huerta believed her silence helped sustain a movement benefiting millions.

5. The Impossible Choice and Lasting Regret

• [06:55] The discussion highlights the impossible predicament Huerta faced as a Latina leader in the 1960s—facing potential erasure, disbelief, and the prioritization of the collective cause over personal justice.
  • Ilsa Chang: "That the rape is the lesser evil to reckon with."
  • Maria Hinojosa: "Exactly. That the rape is the lesser evil."
• [08:50] Huerta acknowledges she never confronted Chavez, expressing regret and wondering if she could have prevented more abuse:
  • Dolores Huerta: "You know what? I never did. And I guess that's the one thing that I'm sorry about, because God knows, had I done that, maybe in some way it would have prevented other women and girls." ([08:57])
• Hinojosa contextualizes this with the era’s understanding of sexual assault and the limited vocabulary and cultural framework available to survivors at the time.

6. Reckoning With a Movement’s Legacy

• [10:13] The episode closes with reflections on how a movement with such a complex founder continues:
  • There’s a call to end unchecked idolization of male leaders and focus on “people power.”
  • Hinojosa predicts deep pain for Huerta as the movement attempts to separate its achievements from Chavez’s legacy:
    • Maria Hinojosa: "We have to really think about putting men in these...positions of power where they're idolized." ([10:43])
    • "It's going to become the movement...about the farm worker movement...there's a lot of work to do, by the way, in terms of Latinos and Latinas and visibility and our power in this country." ([11:07])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Maria Hinojosa on Huerta's shock:
  "She...felt broken. What people need to remember is that Dolores Huerta did not get an advanced copy of the New York Times article. That means that she's reading it in real time like everybody else." ([04:12])

• Dolores Huerta on self-sacrifice:
  "I think it was worth it, you know, because it was my cross to bear." ([05:36])

• Ilsa Chang’s reaction:
  "I mean, I found that heartbreaking. She said her silence was worth it. It was her cross to bear, a cross that she bore alone." ([06:10])

• Maria Hinojosa on the movement’s future:
  "I think this is a moment to talk, and I'm going to use Dolores Huerta's words... she always talks about people power. So I think it's going to become the movement...about the farm worker movement." ([10:51])

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Important Timestamps

• 00:21 — Revelation and public reaction to the NYT investigation
• 01:00 — Governor Newsom on the movement's broader legacy
• 03:20 — Details of abuse from Dolores Huerta’s perspective
• 04:12 — Maria Hinojosa on Huerta’s response to the news
• 05:36 — Huerta’s rationale for silence ("my cross to bear")
• 08:57 — Huerta’s regret over not confronting Chavez
• 10:43 — Discussion of the movement’s future and lessons about power

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Closing Thoughts

This episode is an intimate, sobering reckoning with the complexities of social justice movements, the heavy toll of silence borne by survivors, and the challenges of reconciling necessary progress with deeply flawed leadership. Dolores Huerta’s story and Maria Hinojosa’s reporting serve both as a call to support survivors and as a reminder to focus on collective action over individual idolization.

Transcript

[Ilsa Chang]

For decades, the name Cesar Chavez has stood for activism and leadership.

[Unidentified Activist]

I'm in New York today as part of a nationwide tour on a campaign to ask consumers to refrain from buying California table grapes until the farm workers.

[Ilsa Chang]

But perceptions of who Cesar Chavez was changed dramatically this week when a New York Times investigation found that the widely lionized civil rights leader had sexually abused girls and women. The Times investigation, based on interviews with several women as well as Chavez's close allies and relatives, got a swift reaction. Here in California, some events that were meant to celebrate Cesar Chavez Day have been canceled. That's a state holiday here commemorating Chavez's birthday. And cities across the state are considering renaming schools and streets that bear his name. Here's California Governor Gavin Newsom.

[Governor Gavin Newsom]

We're just going to have to reflect on all of that and, you know, reflect on a farm workers movement and a labor movement that was much bigger than one man and celebrate that.

[Ilsa Chang]

So much of the story about that movement centers on a key figure, Dolores Huerta.

[Maria Hinojosa]

Yes, we can see se.

[Ilsa Chang]

Yes, we can see Huerta popularized that chant as well as co founded alongside Chavez what would become the United Farm Workers America. That's a labor union for farm workers. Huerta told the New York Times that she too was abused by Chavez when their organizing efforts were just beginning. Consider this. Dolores Huerta built a lasting movement with Cesar Chavez. And after waiting decades, she has finally decided to share the story of how Chavez abused her. From npr, I'm Ilsa Cheng.

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[Ira Glass]

This is Ira Glass of this American Life. Do you know our show? Okay, well either way I'm going to tell you about it. We make stories that hopefully pull you in at the beginning with funny moments and feelings and people in surprising situations. And then you just want to find out what is going to happen and cannot stop listening. That's right. I'm talking about stories that make you Miss appointments. This is American Life. Wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ilsa Chang]

Dolores Huerta told the New York Times that she felt pressured to have sex with Cesar Chavez while on a work trip in 1960. Then, six years later, after they had founded the Union for Farm Workers, she says Chavez raped her. Both of these encounters resulted in pregnancies that Huerta felt forced to conceal. She gave the children to other people to raise. Shortly after that Time story came out, Huerta spoke to journalist Maria Hinojosa, host of Latino usa. Maria joins us now. Hi, Maria.

[Maria Hinojosa]

Hey, how you doing?

[Dolores Huerta]

Good.

[Ilsa Chang]

I want to talk about this incredibly difficult interview you had with Berta this week. I know that you have interviewed her before. How did she sound to you this week? Was it, was it, was it just so fundamentally different in this new set of facts?

[Maria Hinojosa]

It was profoundly different. I've interviewed Dolores on multiple occasions in all different kinds of settings. She, and I don't like to use this word because I don't want to be disrespectful, but she felt broken. What people need to remember is that Dolores Huerta did not get an advanced copy of the New York Times article. That means that she's reading it in real time like everybody else. And if we were shocked, you can only imagine Dolores Huerta reading the extent to which Cesar Chavez was a manipulator, a groomer, and somebody who assaulted and

[Ilsa Chang]

raped an abuser of girls. It sounded like Dolores did not know that.

[Maria Hinojosa]

Right, an abuser of girls. I mean, this is pretty horrible. So Dolores, if you know Dolores, she is the most positive, energetic, 90 something year old that I have ever met. I mean, she never tires, she's always optimistic. So it was really painful to hear her in this shock and emotional turmoil.

[Ilsa Chang]

There was one moment that especially burned into me when I listened. You asked about why she chose four decades not to come forward with her story of Chavez's abuse and her, you know, choice to support him in spite of it. And I want to play that part of her answer.

[Dolores Huerta]

I do believe that, yeah, that would have been the end of the movement pretty much at the very, very beginning. And I can see all of the accomplishments, you know, the leadership that came out of the movement, you know, the millions of farm workers that have been helped throughout the United States of America. And it was my personal pain, it was my personal problem. And, you know, I think it was worth it, you know, because it was my cost to burn.

[Ilsa Chang]

I mean, I found that heartbreaking. She said her silence was worth it. It was her cross to bear, a cross that she bore alone.

[Maria Hinojosa]

That was pretty gut wrenching. What we have to understand is the conditions of the Latinos and Latinas and others that Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez helped to organize. The conditions were so bad that she's like, I'll just take this one. Because I know that what's more important is tens of thousands of people who are being mistreated by people in power. So to me, that's the sad part, right? It's like, God, our situation is so bad that a woman is prepared to keep this silent.

[Ilsa Chang]

That the rape is the lesser evil to reckon with.

[Maria Hinojosa]

Exactly. That the rape is the lesser evil. I think, unfortunately, what we're seeing now is essentially what Dolores Huerta was worried about. Yes, there. There is sympathy right now for Dolores, but I have also heard and seen who are like, why didn't you say anything? You must have known this and that. In fact, I asked her, you know, you are a brilliant woman. How is it possible that you didn't

[Ilsa Chang]

know a brilliant woman who always spoke

[Maria Hinojosa]

up, was known to always spoke up? I think the thing about being with somebody who is a master manipulator, as we are realizing that Cesar Chavez was. He was a master strategist, also a master strategist manipulator, is that she has. She's having a very difficult time putting those two things together, right? This is somebody who she trusted. And I think the way I kind of look at it is that Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez worked together for. For decades, Right? But it's like Cesar Chavez really wanted the spotlight, whereas Dolores Huerta has always been and continues to be. It's not about me. It's about the struggle. It's about other people. It's about the other victims of Cesar Chavez. And so I think what we're watching in real time is a woman who is 95 having to come to terms with at this point in her life, having to publicly say, I am a survivor of rape. And for anybody who's been through it, like myself, that is the first step of a very long and painful journey.

[Ilsa Chang]

Not only did Dolores Huerta not tell the public about what had happened to her, she never confronted Cesar Chavez. And you asked her about that, and this is how she thinks about that decision.

[Maria Hinojosa]

Now, did you ever confront Cesar Chavez about his attacks on you?

[Dolores Huerta]

You know what? I never did. And I guess that's the one thing that I'm sorry about, because God knows, had I done that, maybe in some way it would have prevented other women and girls.

[Ilsa Chang]

I mean, it sounds like she's wrestling now with some guilt, some regret there.

[Maria Hinojosa]

Yeah. But I think we have to put ourselves into the moment. 1960, 1966. A very outspoken Latina political activist organizer coming forward and saying, we didn't even use, you know, the term rape was not for being sexually assaulted by somebody who you knew, who was your boss, who was your friend. We understood rape to be, oh, you're in a dark alley with a knife on your chin. Well, we know that the majority of rapes happen between people who know each other. So thinking that Dolores Huerta could come forward and say this, she would have been taken down. She would have been erased. They would have said she was crazy. How dare you do this? And she absolutely would have, I believe, disappeared from the movement. And Cesar Chavez would have remained in his position of power and appreciating the idolatry and who knows, abusing how many other women and girls.

[Ilsa Chang]

Well, Maria, there is just so much reckoning happening right now among labor activists, Latino communities, among us Californians. I mean, we see Cesar Chavez's name emblazoned everywhere in this state. This man, he's come to symbolize something larger than his own life, Right. A whole movement. So let me ask you, what do you think happens to that movement now when the man behind the movement has now been so widely condemned?

[Maria Hinojosa]

Well, I think we have to really think about putting men in these, you know, positions of power where they're idolized. I mean, we are realizing that in our own country right now. Right. Like, what can happen if a man has unchecked power? Right. I think actually this is a moment to talk, and I'm going to use Dolores Huerta's words, right. Which is she always talks about people power. So I think it's going to become the movement. You know, it's going to be about the farm worker movement. I think this is also going to be very painful for Dolores Huerta. I think she is struggling with this horrible reality of being a survivor. But I think for her, I imagine her seeing all of this being painted over is also going to be another heartbreak. So I think the movement has to be. We're going to maintain the movement, and there's a lot of work to do, by the way, in terms of Latinos and Latinas and visibility and our power in this country. So I guess my concern is, you know, Dolores is a very strong 95 years old. She's about to turn 96. But this is a very painful journey for her. So kind of imagining that she's going to be up there saying, all right. Here's what's next. She's going to need some time.

[Ilsa Chang]

Journalist Maria Hinojosa, host of Latino usa, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and this interview with all of us.

[Maria Hinojosa]

Appreciate the time. Thank you.

[Ilsa Chang]

This episode was produced by Alejandra Marquez Hanse with audio engineering by Ted Mebane. It was edited by Courtney Dorney. Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigun. And we also wanted to say thanks to our Consider THIS plus listeners who support the work of NPR journalists and help keep public radio strong. Supporters also hear every episode without messages from sponsors and unlock bonus episodes of Consider this. Learn more at plus.NPR.org It's Consider this from NPR. I'm Ilsa Chang.

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[Ira Glass]

of this American Life. Do you know our show? Okay, well, either way, I'm going to tell you about it. We make stories that hopefully pull you in at the beginning with funny moments and feelings and people in surprising situations. And then you just want to find out what is going to happen and cannot stop listening. That's right. I'm talking about stories that make you miss appointments. This is American Life. Wherever you get your podcasts.