This month’s Cesar Chavez Contemplation Breakfast in uptown Charlotte will move forward under a new name following sexual abuse allegations against the late labor leader.
The event, hosted by the National Council for Leadership, is scheduled for March 30. It will now be called the "Annual Contemplation Breakfast," removing Chavez's name.
Chavez, who died in 1993, was a prominent civil rights leader and co-founder of the United Farm Workers union. He is widely known for organizing farmworkers and leading national boycotts that helped improve labor conditions.
A New York Times investigation published Wednesday reports that Chavez is accused of molesting underage girls and sexually assaulting women, including allegations from United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta.
In a statement to WFAE, Breakfast founder Pat Martinez said the allegations are “deeply troubling” and expressed support for survivors, writing, “we see you, we believe you, and our thoughts and prayers are with you.”
Martinez said the organization will proceed with the event that honors Charlotte-area Latinos, emphasizing that the broader movement Chavez helped build extends beyond any single individual.
“We are many, working as one, and we will not allow the failures of one to tear down what so many have sacrificed to build,” Martinez said.
