Scoop: Salt Lake City Council weighs César Chávez street name change
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The Salt Lake City Council is considering renaming a stretch of 500 South, which honors César Chávez, following sexual abuse allegations against the late civil rights leader, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Cities, states and universities across the U.S. are reexamining Chávez's legacy, with some weighing whether to rename streets, buildings and public spaces that bear his name.
State of play: Council Chair Alejandro Puy, who represents one of two heavily Latino districts in Utah's capital, told Axios that the council is working on a formal proposal on the potential name change.
- "Being an immigrant Latino, this touches me in so many different ways," Puy said, adding that the accusations were "very painful and disappointing" to learn.
- He noted the causes Chávez fought for were always bigger than one person.
- Honoring civil rights icon Dolores Huerta has come up in early discussions as a possible alternative, he said, though the council plans to seek community feedback before moving forward.
Driving the news: Members of the Latino-majority council first started discussing a name change on Wednesday, according to Puy, after a New York Times investigation detailed extensive evidence that Chávez sexually abused women and girls as young as 12 over decades, including United Farm Workers leader Huerta.
Zoom in: 500 South received its César Chávez commemorative name in 2002.
- Changing the formal name of a street can take years, according to Puy, but since 500 South's name is symbolic, the council could move quickly to approve a change.
Zoom out: Two other major Utah cities, West Valley City and Ogden, have streets with honorary names recognizing Chávez.
- Representatives for those cities told Axios that there haven't been discussions about renaming the streets, citing how recently the allegations came to light.