San Luis Schools Consider Removing Cesar Chavez Name From Two Facilities
San Luis could erase Cesar Chavez's name from two schools even as the city marks his holiday, after a New York Times investigation upended his legacy.
Gadsden Elementary School District officials in San Luis are considering removing Cesar Chavez's name from two facilities, Cesar Chavez Elementary and the Cesar Chavez Activity Center at San Luis Middle School, as allegations reported by the New York Times set off a wave of renamings from Phoenix to Los Angeles.
The Associated Press on March 18 reported on the Times investigation, which found that Chavez, who died in 1993, groomed and sexually abused young girls who worked in the labor movement. Within days, Governor Katie Hobbs announced on March 17 that Arizona would not recognize Cesar Chavez Day on March 31, 2026. Arizona lawmakers followed by voting this week to end the statewide Chavez holiday on his birthday, though without a Democratic proposal that would have simultaneously honored farmworkers.
Phoenix moved quickly as well. The city council unanimously approved a motion on March 25 to begin removing Chavez's name from city facilities and holidays and immediately updated its website to rename Cesar Chavez Day. The Phoenix Union High School District's governing board met March 26 to address Cesar Chavez High School in the Laveen area.
Even as Gadsden weighs its options, the City of San Luis observed Cesar Chavez Day this week, with city leaders focused on recognizing farmworkers. KAWC education solutions reporter Sisko Stargazer found that community members in San Luis remained reluctant to let Chavez's legacy go.
The actions extended into California. Los Angeles County, the City of Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles Unified School District all renamed Cesar Chavez Day as Farmworkers Day. LAUSD board member Kelly Gonez co-authored a resolution to remove Chavez's name and likeness throughout the district, which would include murals and the Cesar Chavez Learning Academies in San Fernando.
Historian Kevin Levin, who has guided prior school-naming debates, said communities should prepare for difficult deliberations. "A lot of schools are going to have to have some really interesting and really difficult conversations about what it means to publicly commemorate the past," he said.
No vote date has been announced for the Gadsden district.
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