New allegations that United Farm Workers co-founder and civil rights activist César Chávez sexually abused women and girls are reverberating in Latino communities in Georgia and across the country.

Why it matters: Chávez, one of the nation's most celebrated Latino union activists, was a central figure in the fight for farmworker rights — a legacy that's now in question after accusations from several minors and women, including civil rights icon Dolores Huerta, Axios' Nadia Lopez reports.

The latest: Galeo, which provides resources and advocates for Georgia's Latino and Hispanic residents, said it will not hold its annual Leyendas Essay Contest this year and will remove references to Chávez in future contests.

• Leyendas, which means "legends" in Spanish, draws attention to the plight of farmworkers and celebrates their accomplishments.
• In recent years, it has been expanded to "include other farmworker leaders and unsung heroes from the state of Georgia," Galeo said.

What they're saying: Galeo said in a statement it was "deeply saddened and disillusioned" by the Chávez allegations.

• "This news weighs heavily on our hearts, as many in our community had looked up to him as a leader and role model," the group said, adding it stands with survivors and condemns sexual violence.

Zoom in: Gilda "Gigi" Pedraza, executive director of the Latino Community Fund of Georgia, said in a post on LinkedIn that people in the movement either chose or were pressured to "protect an image and a body of work above the safety of children and the very people they claimed to serve."

• "When we protect a name instead of a person, we are no longer doing justice work," she said. "We are doing reputation management. Our community deserves better."

Zoom out: Event organizers around the country are scrambling to respond since Huerta's blog post and the New York Times' bombshell article detailing the allegations against Chavez were published Wednesday.

The bottom line: "No movement is worth more than the people it claims to serve," Pedraza wrote. "No one, no matter how revered, stands above the dignity of another human."

Go deeper

Outdoor recreation contributed 2.3% of Georgia's gross domestic product in 2024, according to new U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data.

The big picture: The outdoor recreation economy accounted for 2.4% of U.S. GDP in 2024, recent data shows.

• That's in current dollars, and equivalent to nearly $700 billion.

Catch up quick: Nationwide, GDP for the outdoor economy was up 2.7% in 2024 — a slowdown from 2023, when it grew 5.3% from the previous year.

Zoom in: Total recreation spending in Georgia was more than $20.7 billion in 2024 and employed more than 168,000 people.

• The tallies include conventional outdoor activities like hiking, hunting and bicycling, other activities like outdoor concerts, and supporting work, like construction and tourism.

By the numbers: Conventional outdoor recreation added almost $6.3 billion to the Georgia GDP.

• 🎶 Other outdoor recreation, including music festivals and amusement parks, added nearly $4 billion to the state's GDP.
• 🚤 Boating and fishing accounted for nearly $1.1 billion of the state's GDP.
• Boating and fishing were the biggest economic drivers nationwide among "conventional activities," adding $38.4 billion to the U.S. GDP.

Zoom in: A cut of a voter-approved tax on outdoor recreation equipment sales in Georgia has generated hundreds of millions of dollars to acquire green space and improve parks.

• Recent winners of the funding awards include a new wildlife management area next to the Okefenokee Swamp and a new Atlanta park.

Whats next: State lawmakers are currently debating whether they should dedicate more of the tax revenue to the popular program.

Atlanta hip-hop legend Jeezy will return to Las Vegas later this year for another residency.

Driving the news: "The Legend of the Snowman" begins May 1 at PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.

• Jeezy's songs will be reimagined into "a cinematic, large-scale live experience" with the help of the Color of Noize Orchestra, according to a press release.

What's next: Presale tickets can be purchased online starting today at noon using the code SNOWMAN. General ticket sales begin Monday at noon.

🐴 An Atlanta Police Department stable master claims in a whistleblower lawsuit that the city is neglecting its mounted patrol unit's horses. (Atlanta News First)

🤖 Georgia Tech researchers say they've made strides toward teaching general-purpose robots how to learn faster than just imitating humans. (Georgia Tech News Center)

✈️ Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport expects about 350,000 travelers this weekend as long TSA lines continue. Officials are urging travelers to arrive three hours early. (WSB-TV)

🏘️ Some state lawmakers writing laws designed to rein in corporate landlords have their own investments in real estate, which could create potential conflicts of interest. (Capital B)

🪧 Advocates who protested Atlanta's public safety training center are wondering why DeKalb County is planning to build its own facility. (AJC)

The Atlanta Police Department and other local law enforcement agencies say they will crack down on "teen takeovers" that take place this coming weekend. (WSB-TV)