Editor’s note: This story has been updated with a statement from Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García.
BACK OF THE YARDS — Local groups are pushing to rename a post office and an elementary school named after farmworkers rights activist Cesar E. Chavez.
The New York Times published an investigation this week revealing multiple women — including Chavez’s longtime organizing partner, Dolores Huerta — have credibly accused Chavez of grooming, raping and sexually abusing them, some of them when they were minors. That’s led to organizations across the country changing the names of parks, streets and holidays that had been named for Chavez.
It’s no different in Chicago, where Chavez — who was, for decades, a major figure in the farmers rights movement and an inspiration for Latino Americans — has been honored with plaques, murals and in the name of a Pilsen post office and a Back of the Yards school.
“It would be setting a [bad] precedent, allowing someone who did a lot of good to be honored even as we now know they did such atrocious things,” said Rosalba Contreras, a Back of the Yards neighbor and mother of an eighth-grade student at Cesar E. Chavez Multicultural Academic Center.
The Cesar E. Chavez Post Office is located in Pilsen, a majority-Hispanic neighborhood. Credit: Mauricio Peña/Block Club Chicago
Renaming To Avoid Added Trauma
On the Southwest Side, school leaders at Cesar E. Chavez Multicultural Academic Center, 4747 S. Marshfield Ave., “have begun gathering feedback on whether the school should be renamed,” a Chicago Public Schools spokesperson said in an emailed statement Thursday.
The accusations against Chavez have left parents, current and former students and organizers shocked, confused and feeling like they’ve been lied to about someone who has been idolized and honored, they said. They do not believe the school should be named after someone who abused girls as young as some of the students who walk its hallways.
On Wednesday, local nonprofit Increase the Peace called on the Chicago Board of Education to start a community process to rename the school. The group, which serves young people in the neighborhood and fosters civic participation, said public institutions and spaces must reflect the values they strive to uphold — and keeping Chavez’s name sends the wrong message to young people.
“What is that going to tell the young woman currently enrolled in the school — that it’s OK to have that name as the school name? I don’t think that is fair because then that’s just brushing aside the fact that it did happen,” said Evelyn Aguayo, community organizer and legal aid liaison for Increase The Peace. Her 13-year-old sister attends the school.
A plaque dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the passing of Cesar Chavez, honoring Chavez and Sister Dolores Huerta, is part of the Haymarket Memorial, seen Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in Chicago. Credit: AP Photo/Erin Hooley
Parents and young organizers said they would like to be involved in a process for choosing a new name that reflects the values of the school community and considers students’ and parents’ feedback. They would also like to see educators and staff help students process the news and reckon with how their school and many of its spaces honor Chavez.
“Having walked through a building that has idolized a person as much as him and knowing these current allegations now is very upsetting, to say the least, and traumatizing for some,” said Jesse Cisneros, a graduate of Chavez and civic fellow volunteer for Increase The Peace.
According to CPS policy, once a decision is made on changing a school’s name, the change must be reviewed and approved by the local school council. It must then be approved by the CPS network chief and the Board of Education, according to the policy. In 2024, three CPS schools changed their names after following this process.
“If the Cesar E. Chavez Multicultural Academic Center does initiate a name change, it will go through this open and public process to ensure that a new school name represents the values of its school community,” according to CPS’ statement.
Nonprofit Peace in Pilsen is similarly pushing to rename the Cesar E. Chavez post office, 1859 S. Ashland Ave., said founder Leonardo Quintero.
The post office was named after Chavez in 2003. Now, neighbors are pushing to change its name through a community-driven process. It could be named after one of many Pilsen activists and leaders who have worked for their community with integrity, Quintero said. Initial suggestions include organizer Rudy Lozano, artist and educator Francisco “Pancho” Mendoza and activist Magda Ramirez-Castañeda, but there are many others, he said.
The U.S. Postal Service has the authority to name its facilities, but its policies also allow members of Congress or the Senate to name or rename a post office. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García said in a Friday statement that his office has begun that process.
“Considering the horrifying allegations that have come to light, my team and I are beginning the legislative process to rename the Cesar Chavez Post Office in my district,” García said in the emailed statement. “We cannot continue honoring his name, out of respect for those he has harmed, including of course, Dolores Huerta, who I consider my friend.”
Keeping the post office named after Chavez dismisses the experiences of survivors of sexual abuse, neighbors said.
“Seeing [his name], it’s saying that the community agrees that we still need to praise this person when we know he did wrong and needs to be held accountable, even if the person is gone,” said Cristina Puzio, a Pilsen neighbor and practitioner of curanderismo, or ancient healing practices. She has worked with local nonprofits, including some that serve survivors of sexual abuse and domestic violence. Keeping the post office’s name is “re-traumatizing — that is holding up the patriarchy.”
Neighbors and organizers said the allegations against Chavez are an important reminder for local groups to take seriously allegations of abuse, regardless of how powerful the perpetrator is, and to center people who have been harmed.
“We believe that believing survivors and believing people who’ve gone through abuse should be our default,” Quintero said.
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