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

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.

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])

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])

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

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.