Swift reaction to sexual assault allegations against once revered labor icon Cesar Chavez

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Communities across the country are grappling with how to handle sexual assault allegations against Hispanic labor icon Cesar Chavez.

Earlier this week, survivors alleged Chavez abused and molested multiple women for decades. Among the victims are fellow activists and women who were minors at the time of the alleged abuse.

It's now forcing communities to reconsider how they have honored Chavez.

Reaction has been swift: a Milwaukee statue is already covered and the Racine mayor wants to take Chavez's name off a community center.

But the allegations are also refocusing attention on the victims who fought for decades for the rights of others, while carrying this burden in silence.

Christine Neumann-Ortiz is the executive director of Voces de la Frontera, has met Dolores Huerta, one of the victims. "She's a force of nature."

Huerta co-founded the United Farm Workers along with Chavez.

This week Huerta revealed Chavez assaulted her twice, decades ago.

Neumann-Ortiz said, "It was shocking and sad. But I also felt gratitude and relief that she could share this and make this public so she wasn't carrying that."

The allegations have rocked Hispanic, labor, and civil rights advocates across the country and here at home.

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley told us Thursday, "When I heard the news, it was incredibly disappointing."

Crowley is among those trying to separate Chavez the person from the movement he led. "Even though he may not have been the man that we thought he was, it's extremely important that we continue to honor the farm workers' movement during that time."

A statue of Chavez stands outside a grocery store on Cesar Chavez Drive. On Thursday, it was covered in plastic.

Just two blocks down the street is a mural of Dolores Huerta.

Muralist Nyia Luna told us, "No matter what they went through, they don't give up."

Luna painted it in 2021 to honor Huerta's role in the labor movement. "But, I think, now," she said, "given everything that's come to light, you have so much more appreciation for someone like her."

The Cesar Chavez Business Improvement District wrote it is exploring what accountability looks like, including "how the corridor tells its story, whose voices are uplifted, and how we can shape a future that reflects the values of dignity, equity, belonging, and safety for all."

"These women carried enormous pain for decades," wrote Milwaukee alderperson JoCasta Zamarripa, "because they feared that speaking the truth would cost the movement everything they had sacrificed to build."

Zamarripa said she'll join the conversation about "what it means to have Cesar Chavez Drive bear his name."

Earlier in the week, Zamarripa announced Milwaukee's annual Cesar Chavez Day celebration will be canceled.

But, for now, Chavez's presence remains inescapable: from addresses to street signs to plaques, even garbage cans.

Down in Racine, mayor Cory Mason wants to rename the Cesar Chavez Community Center.

He called the allegations "deeply troubling, and I believe they merit a serious response."