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For generations in cities across the nation, tributes to Cesar Chavez in the form of murals, statues, names of schools, streets and institutions—and a bust in the Biden Oval Office—needed no explanation.

He was a civil rights icon. He represented the voice of the Latino community. His impact was definitive. And his legacy continued to inform present-day policies and movements long after his death over three decades ago in 1993.

The collapse of his legacy as an icon of labor power and Latino pride was both swift, shocking and decisive. It came as an investigation published by The New York Times alleged Chavez sexually abused girls and women, including one of his most prominent organizing partners Dolores Huerta, for decades during his leadership of the US movement for farm workers’ rights.

Within days of the report, Chavez was pulled from his pedestal. Murals of his image were painted over, statues of him were covered to be later taken down, portraits were removed and efforts were quickly underway to revoke his name from street signs and state holidays dedicated to his memory and achievements.

Across the country, Cesar Chavez Day on Tuesday will look starkly different from previous years as cities from coast to coast cancel or rename celebrations. California, the first state to designate the labor leader’s birthday as a holiday decades ago, on Thursday renamed Cesar Chavez Day as Farmworkers Day.

Stories recounting the fall from grace of cultural, military, political and even mythical figures are as old as human history. They share a common thread: a once-revered individual who accomplished great feats to advance society as a whole, only to later be met with, just as remarkably, a swift and tragic downfall.

Cesar Chavez is just the latest.

Students at Santa Ana College in Santa Ana, California, sit near a covered painting of Cesar Chavez on March 19. That same day, the Santa Ana Unified School District said its board of education would consider renaming a school named after Chavez, adding the allegations against him “are deeply troubling."

Jae C. Hong/AP

Facilities workers remove a bust of Cesar Chavez in Denver on March 19. Mayor Mike Johnston said the city would remove Chavez’s name from a <a href="https://www.tclf.org/landscapes/cesar-e-chavez-park" target="_blank">park</a> in the Berkeley neighborhood, as well as from the official city holiday and monuments dedicated to him. The <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWFkEFdjcoL/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link" target="_blank">efforts are part of </a>a “community-led process to rename these spaces in a way that reflects the values and people of the movement,” he said. The city’s Cesar Chavez Day will be called “Si Se Puede” Day<strong> </strong>this year, a nod to the “yes, we can” rallying cry of the farmers’ movement that Chavez inspired, the mayor said. A name for the city’s annual<strong> </strong>observation beyond this year will be decided later, he said.

Facilities workers remove a bust of Cesar Chavez in Denver on March 19. Mayor Mike Johnston said the city would remove Chavez’s name from a park in the Berkeley neighborhood, as well as from the official city holiday and monuments dedicated to him. The efforts are part of a “community-led process to rename these spaces in a way that reflects the values and people of the movement,” he said. The city’s Cesar Chavez Day will be called “Si Se Puede” Day this year, a nod to the “yes, we can” rallying cry of the farmers’ movement that Chavez inspired, the mayor said. A name for the city’s annual observation beyond this year will be decided later, he said.

Cheney Orr/Reuters

A statue of Cesar Chavez, erected on campus 30 years ago, stands covered in a plywood box at Fresno State University in Fresno, California, on March 19. The university’s president, Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, said the monument of Chavez had been removed from the campus’ Peace Garden, which “reflects the gravity of the information that has come to light” after he spent time reflecting and listening to community while personally processing “the collective pain” caused by the allegations against Chavez.

Tracy Barbutes/Reuters

Carlos Gonzalez paints over a depiction of Cesar Chavez that was part of a mural on the Latin Rock Music House in San Francisco's Mission District, where Latino icons and legendary musicians were hosted and honored, according to CNN affiliate KABC. Richard Segovia, owner of the home, told the affiliate he contacted the muralist immediately after the allegations came to light with a request to paint over the mural of Chavez. "I did this to let everyone know. Let's get the ball rolling. Let's start right here and get this done," Segovia told KABC.

KGO

A pedestrian walks below a Cesar Chavez street sign in San Francisco on March 18. Supervisor Jackie Fielder, who represents District 9 where the street named after Chavez is located, said her office “will support community efforts to remove Cesar Chavez's name from any District 9 institutions,” according to CNN affiliate KTRK.

Jeff Chiu/AP

A worker boards up the pedestal where a bust of Cesar Chavez stood in Cesar Chavez Park in Denver as signs reading "Dolores Huerta Park" are pasted onto the wooden boards on March 19. The park had already been vandalized before Mayor Mike Johnston announced it would be renamed, with black spray paint covering Chavez’s name on concrete, according to CNN affiliate KMGH-TV.

Kevin Mohatt/Reuters

A worker on March 19 moves a panel after temporarily covering up the mural "The Legacy of Cesar Chavez" by artist Emigdio Vasquez. The artwork, which features Chavez with farm workers and other activists, is inside the Cesar Chavez Business and Computer Center at Santa Ana College in California. Mayor Valerie Amezcua said in a statement she would be working with the city council to “review all local landmarks” named after Chavez to determine next steps.

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

A woman passes by a mural by artist MisterAlek, where he erased a portrait of Cesar Chavez that he created in 2021 and replaced it with a portrait of Dolores Huerta at the Watts Century Latino Organization in Los Angeles on March 20. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass signed a proclamation changing the name of Cesar Chavez Day to “Farm Workers Day” to continue to honor the movement without mentioning Chavez. Changes to other honors given to Chavez around the city will be considered, the mayor added.

Christina House/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Members of the city's Public Works Department cover the statue at Cesar E. Chavez Memorial Park on March 19 in San Fernando, California. The removal came after a special city council meeting addressing next steps following the allegations against Chavez, according to CNN affiliate KABC. Mayor Joel Fajardo called for the statue to be taken down, saying the move was a show of solidarity with survivors of sexual assault, KABC reported.

Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

The Cesar Chavez statue along South Cesar Chavez Drive in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is seen covered with plastic on March 19. Milwaukee alderperson JoCasta Zamarripa said the city’s celebration of Cesar Chavez Day “will not be taking place,” adding: "The farmworker movement was never one man. It was built by thousands of workers, organizers, and families who gave their lives to the fight for dignity and justice,” according to CNN affiliate WISN.

Jovanny Hernandez/USA Today Network via Imagn Images

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In pictures: America reckons with Cesar Chavez’s legacy as tributes to the labor leader come down

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