Minnesota Repeals César Chávez Day in Response to Survivor Testimony

Lawmakers fast-tracked the measure ahead of the commemoration on March 31 — Chavez's birthday — by suspending the rules to bypass committees and immediately take the legislation for a vote.

Gov. Tim Walz has signed legislation, repealing the state’s recognition of César Chávez Day on March 31 and replaced it with Farmworkers Day. This action shifts focus away from an individual figure and toward the collective contributions of farmworkers, many of whom continue to face exploitation and injustice.

“We will continue to celebrate the farm labor movement and the many people throughout history who have contributed to the improvement of farm working conditions,” said Walz.

Following mounting allegations of sexual abuse involving Chávez, legislative response was swift and unanimous.

Rep. María Isa Pérez-Vega (DFL-St. Paul) introduced legislation to repeal César Chávez Day hours after the New York Times published its investigation showing the farm labor leader allegedly groomed and sexually abused girls who were part of his movement.

By Monday evening, the House had unanimously passed the bill, sending it to the Senate.

“Honoring César Chávez for the Latino community, Minnesota would be incongruous given the five-year investigation into allegations of assault made by women who were little girls at the time,” Pérez-Vega said. “We hear the calls of Dolores Huerta, a 96-year-old woman who exemplifies courage and deserves restorative justice with all of our communities after her 60 years of silently living with this trauma.”

In a March 2026 investigation with the New York Times, Dolores Huerta spoke out about sexual abuse by César Chávez to align with other survivors who were breaking their silence and to expose a pattern of misconduct that she had kept hidden for nearly 60 years.

Huerta, who co-founded the National Farm Workers Association with Chávez, said he raped her in the 1960s and she bore two children from him.

“I am nearly 96 years old, and for the last 60 years have kept a secret because I believed that exposing the truth would hurt the farmworker movement I have spent my entire life fighting for,” Huerta wrote on social media. 

The Minnesota Senate unanimously voted to repeal César Chávez Day on Thursday and the Governor signed off on Friday, signaling a rare moment of unified action in response to survivor testimony and investigative reporting.

“It’s not about one man who makes a movement; it’s about the movement making the movement together moving forward,” said Pérez-Vega.

Along with repealing the state holiday, broader changes are also happening in St. Paul where officials and community leaders are exploring renaming streets, schools, and murals that currently bear Chávez’s name.