Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says the state will not observe Cesar Chavez Day on March 31, a move that he hopes to make permanent by working with the Legislature and removing the holiday from state law in the 2027 session.
The announcement came after a New York Times investigation revealed allegations that the late Mexican-American labor and civil rights leader had sexually assaulted and abused women and girls. The reporting has sparked widespread outrage and sorrow, prompting lawmakers and labor groups across the country — including in Texas, where he supported striking farm workers and led a rally at the state Capitol following a march from Rio Grande City to Austin in 1966 — to reckon with Chavez’s legacy.
