Eugene School District 4J Considers Renaming Chávez Elementary Amid Abuse Allegations

César E. Chávez Elementary School's 340 students returned to class this week under a name Eugene School District 4J is now openly questioning, days after a New York Times investigation published March 18 alleged that the celebrated labor leader sexually abused minors and raped civil rights activist Dolores Huerta.

The investigation included corroborated accounts from two women who said Chávez molested them when they were 12 and 13 years old, along with Huerta's allegation of rape and documents the Times said support the women's claims. Chávez, who died in 1993 at age 66, had long been regarded as a foundational figure of the farmworker and Latino civil rights movements.

Kelly McIver, Eugene School District 4J's director of communications, said in a written statement that the district would not act immediately. "Any possible renaming of schools must be approved by the school board," McIver wrote. "And 4J's school board policy is clear that name changes must be addressed thoughtfully and involve the community." McIver added that "district leadership, including school board members, will carefully consider this new information and appropriate next steps."

The school on Eugene's south side was named in 2004 in a process that itself drew intense community interest. More than 150 people packed the school board meeting room, nearly two dozen spoke in favor of the name, and the vote still came down to a narrow 4-3 margin. Virginia Thompson, who served on the 4J board from 1991 to 2006, recalled being uneasy about naming schools after individuals and had preferred a more broadly inclusive name, citing "Chinook" as one example she considered. She voted for the Chávez name anyway.

Freeman Pearson, a Eugene resident who works with elementary school children, said the allegations changed that calculus. "I think they should definitely change it. I work with kids in elementary schools. It's my job and definitely don't want to be associated with things like that," Pearson told KEZI. "I think it's very important that if someone does something bad and they have stuff related to them, that isn't like they didn't create, it should be distanced from them in general."

The question extends well beyond one Eugene school. Oregon is home to a K-8 César Chávez School in North Portland, a Chávez-named elementary in Salem, the Centro Cultural César Chávez at Oregon State University in Corvallis, and César E. Chávez Boulevard in Portland, where the city council voted unanimously in 2009 to rename 39th Avenue. Oregon and Washington both observe César Chávez Day on March 31, a recognition now under reconsideration.

Gov. Tina Kotek called for swift reassessment of how Chávez is honored across the state. "Women are the backbone of the farmworker movement. And the farmworker movement is bigger than one man. The stories being revealed by brave women must reset history. No man who did these things should be celebrated," Kotek said. She added that "Oregon leaders and leaders across the country should work swiftly to identify next steps in light of what we now know."

State Rep. Ricki Ruiz, a Gresham Democrat who was raised by farmworkers and credited Chávez's example as an influence on his political career, said the moment was painful but necessary to confront. "It's just heartbreaking," Ruiz said, adding that institutions should begin holding discussions about removing Chávez's name.

Not every official is ready to move quickly. Michelle DePass, vice chair of the Portland Public Schools Board, said: "I don't plan to call for a renaming — that feels reactionary — I think that's a conversation we should have as a school community." Salem-Keizer Public Schools spokesperson Aaron Harada called the news "shocking and concerning" but said "it is too early to say about possibly renaming our school." Oregon State University said it is "gathering information and perspectives" on the Centro Cultural.

Reyna Lopez, executive director of PCUN, Oregon's largest farmworker union, announced the organization would not participate in César Chávez Day celebrations on March 31. The union's decision signals a break from a decades-long tradition within the very movement Chávez helped build.

For the 4J school board, no meeting date or formal timeline for taking up the renaming question has been announced. District policy gives the board the final say, and McIver's statement made clear the process will require community engagement before any vote is held.