When Truth Hurts, the Cause Still Remains:
An Open Letter from the Executive Director
Recent reports and allegations involving César Chávez have brought pain, grief, and deep disappointment to many who have long viewed him as a symbol of sacrifice, labor rights, and justice. For communities that have honored his name for generations, this moment is not a small one. It is painful. It is personal. And it demands honesty.
At Faith & Justice Support Services, we stand in support of Dolores Huerta, of survivors who have spoken, and of all victims whose pain has too often been overlooked, minimized, or buried.
Let us be clear: sexual assault is never acceptable. Abuse is not excused by influence, legacy, public admiration, or historic contributions. No movement for justice can claim moral strength while ignoring harm done to women, children, or vulnerable people. We do not honor truth by looking away from it. We honor truth by facing it directly.
This is one of the hardest lessons communities must learn again and again: a person may have helped advance an important cause and still have caused serious harm. Those truths can exist at the same time. Naming harm does not erase the good a movement fought for. But silence about harm corrupts that movement from within.
For many, César Chávez represented dignity, resistance, and hope for farmworkers and working families. That history matters. The struggle for labor rights matters. The demand for human dignity matters. But no cause becomes more righteous by shielding powerful men from accountability. In fact, justice requires the opposite.
We also want to say this plainly: standing with survivors is not a betrayal of our history. It is part of correcting it.
Dolores Huerta’s voice matters. The voices of every survivor matter. The voices of those who stayed silent out of fear, shame, confusion, or survival matter too. People should never be asked to carry their pain quietly in order to protect an institution, a legacy, or a public image.
And still, even in the middle of heartbreak, the cause remains.
The fight for dignity remains.
The fight for workers remains.
The fight for truth remains.
The work of educating and empowering our communities remains.
No movement should be built on mythology alone. It should be built on courage, accountability, and a willingness to protect the vulnerable even when the truth is uncomfortable. If this moment teaches us anything, it is that justice must never depend on pretending our heroes were flawless.
To those who feel shaken by this news, your grief is understandable. It is painful when someone tied to hope is also tied to harm. But truth does not destroy the values worth keeping. Truth refines them. Truth clears away illusion so that the work ahead can be more honest, more humane, and more worthy of the people it claims to serve.
And to survivors, especially those who have spent years carrying what was done to them in silence: we see you. We believe your pain matters. You are not weak for speaking. You are not wrong for grieving. You are not alone.
Justice does not begin when the truth is convenient.
Justice begins when the truth is told.
With solidarity,
Cruzsilla
If you or someone you know needs support, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential 24/7 help at 800.656.HOPE (4673), by chat, and by text. If someone is in immediate emotional crisis, call or text 988 for immediate support.