The University of Arizona will hold a public forum Thursday to discuss the name of the César E. Chávez building on campus, after a New York Times investigation in March revealed Chávez, leader of the farmworkers' civil rights movement, sexually abused girls and women.
The public forum — 4 p.m. Thursday at the Manuel Pacheco Integrated Learning Center — is part of a review of the building name being conducted by the university’s Naming Advisory Committee. The review was initiated by UA President Suresh Garimella, according to a UA news release Tuesday.
“This forum is part of that process and is intended to provide an open space for dialogue and reflection,†said the release. “Input gathered at the public forum will help inform the committee’s recommendations. The discussion will include perspectives on the farmworker movement, community impact, support for survivors, and considerations for next steps.â€
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In the Times investigation, two women told the newspaper that Chávez began sexually abusing them when they were 12 and 13 years old in the 1970s. Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers of America with Chávez, disclosed to the Times that he raped her in the 1960s.
Leaders in states and cities, including Tucson, and many other institutions quickly renamed holidays and altered memorials honoring Chávez, the Arizona-born civil rights icon who died in 1993.
Reporter Prerana Sannappanavar covers higher education for the 51ºÚÁÏÍø and . Contact her at psannappa1@tucson.com or DM her on .
Prerana Sannappanavar
Higher Education Reporter
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