Michigan communities are reconsidering streets and schools named after César Chavez following an explosive report alleging the late labor leader had sexually abused girls.
Discussions have already begun in cities like Lansing and Pontiac, but officials acknowledge renaming streets there could take months or years and may also negatively impact businesses that advertise with their existing addresses.
“It is imperative that we take next steps respectfully and with careful consideration, and engage residents and businesses directly affected by a street name change,” Lansing City Council Vice President Trini Pehlivanoglu said last month after the allegations against Chavez surfaced.
In a New York Times investigation published March 18, two women said Chavez began abusing them in the 1970s, starting when they were as young as 12. Accounts from top aides and relatives alleged a pattern of sexual misconduct.
Delores Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers with Chavez, also alleged he sexually assaulted her. The California-based labor organization canceled all César Chavez Day activities in March, citing the “disturbing allegations” against him.
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In Michigan’s capital city, a spokesperson confirmed this week that Lansing has started discussions about renaming César E. Chavez Avenue in the Old Town neighborhood, in coordination with Pehlivanoglu.
Pehlivanoglu, who said she had contacted the neighborhood business association and others, drafted a resolution to rename the street and appeared before the Committee on City Operations to discuss it March 24.
To rename a street in Lansing, a recommendation must be approved by the city’s Board of Public Service before it reaches City Council for final approval. Typically, residents and businesses are invited to voice any concerns.
Mayor Andy Schor “fully supports that plan and will work with Council and members of the community, including the Old Town Commercial Association, on any proposed changes,” said spokesperson Scott Bean.
Lansing also canceled its “Legacy of César Chavez Dinner” last month. Nearby in East Lansing, Michigan State University renamed its 16th annual “César Chavez and Dolores Huerta Celebration” to the “Farmworker Appreciation Commemorative Celebration.”
Grand Rapids is also weighing its response to the allegations and whether it should rename César E. Chavez Elementary School and other local honors tied to the labor organizer.
In a March 18 letter to parents, Grand Rapids Public Schools Superintendent Leadriane Roby acknowledged the “seriousness” of the reports about Chavez and said the district’s “thoughts are with anyone who is impacted.”
Since his death in 1993, “many organizations across the country have honored the labor organizer by naming buildings, streets and schools after him,” she wrote. “In 2008, GRPS took that same step by naming one of our schools César E. Chavez Elementary School. As we continue to learn more, we will evaluate next steps in alignment with our district’s values.”
Grand Rapids also renamed Grandville Avenue to César E. Chavez Avenue in 2022, which community members have begun to question.
Community members have inquired about the renaming process, but “at this time, there is no formal request before the city,” a spokesperson told Bridge Michigan.
Streets can only be renamed “in extraordinary circumstances” in Grand Rapids, and any proposals to change them must go through several agencies before a recommendation to the City Commission to adopt a new name.
In Detroit, the K-12 management group that operates the César Chavez Academy charter school said in a statement to Bridge that it is “monitoring the impact of this deeply disturbing situation and will respond accordingly to protect the sanctity of what we do and who we serve.”
“The Leona Group regards all allegations involving harm or abuse, especially towards children, with the utmost seriousness and focus,” the statement said. “We consider the recently alleged acts of a prominent historical figure to be horrific and unimaginable. Our school district, César Chavez Academy, is not defined by any one individual, but by the values we live out each day.”
In Pontiac, City Council member Mikal Goodman has said he’s drafting a resolution to begin the renaming process for César E. Chavez Avenue, which could take a year or longer.
Goodman, who did not respond to requests for comment from Bridge, told WXYZ-TV that he’s interested in renaming the street after Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the farm labor group with Chavez.
Flint Council member Judy Priestley told Bridge she has received calls from residents about renaming the city’s Chavez Drive but said officials have not had any formal conversations about the matter.
Around the country, events have been canceled, including marches honoring Chavez in Texas and Arizona.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed a bill to rename César Chavez Day as Farmworkers Day, effective immediately. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed a similar bill, which repealed César Chavez Day altogether.
This article first appeared on Bridge Michigan and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.