One of the women said Chavez raped her in a motel room in 1975 when she was 15 years old and he was 47. Both women, now in their 60s, were the daughters of organizers within the farmworker movement. NPR has not independently investigated the allegations against Chavez, who died in 1993. Huerta, a labor leader long revered for her work on behalf of farmworkers alongside Chavez, told the newspaper that he raped her in a car in 1966. "Allegations that very young women or girls may have been victimized are crushing," the union said.

Source: International New York Times March 18, 2026 21:33 UTC