San Jose marks Farmworkers Day as community re-examines Cesar Chavez legacy

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- On a day that would have been celebrated as Cesar Chavez Day, now renamed Farmworkers Day, people are still reckoning with the late labor leader's legacy after allegations surfaced earlier this month.

"People have been very proud to have been associated with Cesar Chavez, and they always brag about it and recall their memories," said Darlene Tenes, executive director of Farmworker Caravan. "And now they're like, well, who was this person that I was standing next to?"

That question feels especially heavy in San Jose, where Chavez first organized and planted roots with his family.

"Most people in this area, most Mexican-Americans have some sort of tie to the Chavez family," Tenes said. "And they also will tell you stories of how they marched with Chavez."

For Tenes, those ties go back generations. Farmworker Caravan, the organization she leads, is her way of honoring her own family's roots in the farm working community. It's a grassroots organization that started during the COVID-19 pandemic to supports farmworkers through direct aid, advocacy and communication.

MORE: Bay Area farmworker advocates 'betrayed' after Cesar Chavez abuse allegations, support accusers

"There's not a single person in America that doesn't benefit from a farm worker. And the farmworkers, they are a shadow community," Tenes said. "Currently during this administration and to be honest with you, through every administration in history, they have been vilified and not thought of well, because most of them are undocumented."

Tenes said in the days following the allegations, many have shared their stories with her too, especially in the farm working community, where many are still dealing with sexual assault and domestic violence but feel they can't speak up due to fears of being undocumented.

"It brought up feelings that they had," Tenes said. "They shared their untold stories to me this week, their untold stories of why they never spoke up and they've never said anything to anybody, ever, about a sexual assault that they have experienced."

While many Cesar Chavez Day celebrations were canceled, postponed or renamed following those allegations, Tenes and other community organizers decided to do something different.

On the newly-renamed Farmworkers Day, Tenes and other community leaders are hosting a gathering at the San Jose Woman's Club for anyone impacted by assault or violence, or anyone who simply wants answers and space to process. Resources and experts will be available on site, from prosecutors to medical doctors.

MORE: Cesar Chavez allegations highlight why sexual assault survivors often stay silent

Kat Da Silva, executive director of Be The Change Collective, added that the event will offer journaling, painting, meditation, breathwork and sound therapy.

"It's such a layered experience and this is why folks, especially women but even men, they keep it in," said Da Silva. "When we keep in this trauma, it's affecting the core of us. If we want true, wholistic healing, we have to get to the root cause and that really is where the story lies in silence."

While the event is being called an open hearts, open doors community gathering, Tenes and Da Silva expect turnout will include a mix of people in the South Bay community, the farmworker community, and people who are still processing the shock and grief.

"It's not just for sex assault victims tonight. It's whoever wants answers to this story," Tenes said.

"They're grateful," added Da Silva, of the reaction she has been getting. "I've had a few people reach out to me like, 'Wow, thank you for doing this,' because it's such a bigger subject than César and Dolores. This was just one more reminder of this wound that a lot of us carry."

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The United Farm Workers, the union Chavez helped build, is spotlighting ongoing fights for immigrant protections and against wage cuts for farmworkers.

The Cesar Chavez Foundation also released a letter to the community, urging people to continue honoring farmworkers and their collective achievements.

"Their accomplishments belong to all of them, and no single person's failures will diminish what they built together," the statement read, in part.

Da Silva says that while the tone of the day has changed, there is still something to celebrate.

"People would be celebrating today. There would be celebration of the impact that was made, the positive impact, and we're not going to feel that as much," Da Silva. "We may be celebrating as a community, creating safe spaces to be together. That's definitely a celebration."