Inside Cesar Chavez’s Labor Union, Women Faced a Culture of Sexual Abuse

Article excerpt

Women who were instrumental in building the United Farm Workers union, including those fighting for Latino civil rights alongside Cesar Chavez, say they endured widespread sexual harassment, misogyny, and assault within the organization, struggles they largely kept hidden at the time. The revelations expose a contradiction at the heart of one of America's most celebrated labor movements: while the UFW fought for justice for farmworkers, women inside the union faced what they describe as a culture that tolerated abuse. Their accounts suggest that the iconic movement's legacy may need recalibration to acknowledge the toll on female activists who helped shape it.