After the New York Times reported on sexual abuse allegations against late Mexican American Civil Rights leader César Chavez — specifically by top ally Dolores Huerta — Mural Arts has decided to remove Chavez’s image from a sprawling mural in the Fairhill section town.
Artist Michelle Angela Ortíz will paint a new image of Huerta on the 20-year-old Latinoamerica: Una Lengua, Multiples Culturas the same style of the mural’s original artist Jose Ali Paz, who died in 2008.
“The only area that will be changed is the addition of Huerta,” Ortíz said. “The rest of the mural will remain as is to preserve Jose Ali’s legacy.”
Huerta’s image will join historic Latin figures Simon Bolivar and poets Pablo Neruda and Gabriela Mistral.
Latinoamerica: Una Lengua, Multiples Culturas — “Latin America: One Language, Many Cultures” — is located at 2863 N. 5th Street. Also called “Maria’s Grocery,” because the mural is painted on the side of the long-time bodega, it represents more than 16 different Latin American cultural groups in Philadelphia.
The mural, a collaboration between Venezuelan artists Paz and Henry Bermudez, was unveiled in 2005.
“It is sad what has happened to Chavez’s story,” said Bermudez, who worked as Ali’s assistant on the mural and has a studio in Frankford. “Honoring Huerta is a very good solution.”
In addition to Chavez, Bolivar, and Neruda, the mural features Flamenco dancers, an illustrated map of Central and South America, and a parrot native to Latin American countries like Brazil, Columbia, Peru, and Bolivia.
Ortíz, 52, a longtime friend of the late Paz, spoke with his family and got their approval to make the change to the mural. Paz, who friends describe as a kind soul who eschewed machismo, would agree with the change, Ortíz said.
“Completely erasing Chavez’s image is detrimental to the movement,” Ortíz said, “It’s detrimental to the descendants of the farmworkers who benefited from his work. The actions of one singular person shouldn’t tarnish the movement of the many people. We have to be very cautious and mindful of how to react.”
The picture of Huerta, Ortíz said, will move the focus elsewhere.
“How do we share the perspective to uplift others who are part of the movement? In this case, it’s Dolores.”
Within days after the story dropped in the Times, Mural Arts was in conversation with Bermuez and Hace, the owners of Maria’s Grocery.
On Friday, Mural Arts released a public statement they were considering alternatives.
“We take these allegations extremely seriously and we believe the women who came forward,” said Aviva Kapust, Mural Arts chief advancement and impact officer. “Everyone agreed this is a great solution.”
Ortíz saw the statement over the weekend and reached out to Mural Arts. She wanted to know if the nonprofit had reached out to Paz’s family.
Paz has worked on several murals for the nonprofit arts organization. His work includes another 2005 120-foot long and 25-foot high scene on 5th Street near Allegheny called Life Reflects Nature: Memories of the Past, Traditions of the Present.
Chavez was serially abusive especially toward young women, the New York Times reported. Two women Ana Murguia and Debra Rojas, both in their 60s, told the publication how Chavez molested them in his office. The Times investigation found that he sexually abused several other women who worked and volunteered in his movement including Huerta.
He died in 1993 at age 66.
The Times investigation led to several organizations with ties to Chavez distance themselves. The U.F.W., the union he once led, canceled its annual celebrations honoring him, calling the accusations “profoundly shocking”
Officials in multiple states said they would consider renaming the scores of streets and schools named in his honor. California governor Gavin Newsom said he was in talks to rename Cesar Chavez Day on March 31.
Over the weekend, several statues and busts of Chavez were covered or removed. His images in murals were scrubbed off or whited out. California artist Misteralek replaced Chavez in his 2021 mural with Huerta holding up a megaphone.
“These murals are meant to memorialize, pay tribute, and tell the stories of what is going on in the communities in the moment,” Kapust said. “This is a chance for us to reconsider and work with the community in a thoughtful way.”