Greg Abbott said Texas will no longer observe Cesar Chavez Day and plans to push lawmakers to remove the holiday from state law, citing recent allegations about the late labor leader.
In Houston, Art Eureste, co-coordinator of the 2026 Houston Cesar Chavez March said the committee voted Wednesday morning to cancel the event, “out of respect to all of the people involved in this situation.”
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“The State of Texas will not observe the Cesar Chavez Day holiday. I am directing all Texas state agency heads to comply,” Abbott said in a statement Tuesday. “In the upcoming legislative session, I will work with Texas lawmakers to remove Cesar Chavez Day from state law altogether.”
Abbott said reports of sexual assault allegations against Cesar Chavez “rightfully dismantle the myth of this progressive hero and undermine the narrative that elevated Chavez as a figure worthy of official state celebration.”
Chavez, who died in 1993, was the founder of the United Farm Workers labor union and is widely known for organizing farmworkers and advocating for better pay and working conditions.
The union has recently distanced itself from annual celebrations honoring Chavez amid what it described as troubling allegations.
In a statement Tuesday, the union said allegations of “abuse of young women or minors” were concerning enough that it urged supporters across the country to participate in immigration justice events or acts of service instead of traditional celebrations commemorating Chavez’s legacy.
The union said it has not received any direct reports of abuse and does not have firsthand knowledge of the allegations. Neither the union nor the Cesar Chavez Foundation responded to requests from The Associated Press for further comment.
“Some of the reports are family issues, and not our story to tell or our place to comment on,” the union said.
Several Cesar Chavez celebrations in San Francisco, Texas and Chavez’s home state of Arizona were canceled at the request of the foundation, which said it had become aware of disturbing allegations about Chavez during his time as president of the union.
Both the union and the foundation said they are working to establish ways for anyone who may have been harmed by Chavez to share their experiences confidentially.
“These allegations have been profoundly shocking,” the union said. “We need some time to get this right, including to ensure robust, trauma-informed services are available to those who may need it.”
California was the first state to establish March 31, Chavez’s birthday, as a day commemorating the labor leader. In 2014, then-President Barack Obama proclaimed March 31 as a national Cesar Chavez Day, encouraging Americans to honor his legacy.
Born in Yuma, Chavez grew up in a Mexican American family that traveled throughout California picking lettuce, grapes, cotton and other seasonal crops. He later became known nationally for organizing farmworkers, staging a hunger strike and leading a grape boycott that helped secure negotiations with growers for better wages and working conditions.
In 1962, Chavez and labor leader Dolores Huerta co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers.
Farmworkers play a major role in California agriculture, which produces nearly half of the nation’s fruits, nuts and vegetables.
Chavez spent much of his life protesting poor wages and difficult working conditions faced by farmworkers, who often labored long hours in fields without basic amenities and had little political or legal protection from exploitation.