Delano Community Struggles to Process Abuse Allegations Against Cesar Chavez

The Kern County city of Delano, a birthplace of the farm labor movement, is deeply divided following a New York Times investigation alleging sexual abuse by the late leader Cesar Chavez. The Delano Joint Union High School District has voted to rename Cesar E.

Chavez High School, and the city council will review renaming a local park. Community reactions range from heartbreak and calls for accountability to skepticism and defense of Chavez's historic role in securing farmworkers' rights.

Some residents see an opportunity to elevate other pivotal figures in labor history, such as Filipino organizer Larry Itliong, who led the 1965 Delano Grape Strike. As statues come down and holidays are renamed across California, Delano faces a complex reckoning with a foundational part of its identity and history.