Salt Lake City to vote on renaming 500 South after Dolores Huerta
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Dolores Huerta. Photo: Emma McIntyre/WireImage
The Salt Lake City Council is expected to vote on a resolution Tuesday to rename César Chávez Boulevard after labor activist Dolores Huerta.
Why it matters: Utah's capital is one of the latest U.S. cities to remove Chávez's name from public spaces following a New York Times investigation in March that detailed extensive evidence that the late civil rights leader sexually abused women and girls as young as 12 years old.
- Council Chair Alejandro Puy, who led the name change proposal on a stretch of 500 South, previously told Axios the allegations against Chávez were "very painful and disappointing" to learn.
The big picture: Huerta is one of the most influential Latina activists in the country.
- She co-founded the National Farm Workers Association in 1962 with Chávez, and played a key role in advancing labor conditions for farmworkers.
- At the time, many workers were exploited by their employers, earning poor wages, living in neglected housing and working in dangerous conditions.
- She coined the slogan "Sí se puede," which loosely translates to "Yes, we can" — a phrase chanted by generations of labor activists.
Huerta revealed to the Times that Chávez sexually assaulted her, an allegation she kept secret for almost 60 years so as not to undermine the movement.
State of play: 500 South received its Chávez commemorative name in 2002.
- City-owned street signs that bore Chávez's name have already come down. His name remains on other state-run streets until the council adopts a new name.
- Huertas' name would appear between State Street and 700 East.
- Martin Luther King Jr. and Harvey Milk are among some of the activists honored with streets named after them in Utah's capital.
What's next: The Latino-majority council is scheduled to vote on the name change and hear public comment at the formal meeting, which begins at 7pm.