On a wall outside the Palo Alto High School Student Center, civil rights activists and influential figures are painted with rays of light shining out behind them. The mural replaces one painted by James Franco, a famous actor and Paly alum accused of sexual assault. Recently, a dark past was uncovered about one of the figures represented in the new mural; once a shining light in the community has now caught in controversy.
Cesar Chavez was a Mexican-American labor unionist and co-founder of the National Farm Workers Association. He was a highly recognizable figure who inspired farmworkers across the nation to demand higher wages, and was especially influential in California, where much of his activism took place.
On March 18, the New York Times published an investigation of Chavez, with reports of child sexual abuse and assault allegations against him raised by multiple women, including Dolores Huerta, a co-founder of the National Farm Workers Association.
The Paly mural that replaced Franco’s is still up today, highlighting those who were crucial in fighting for the people throughout the world. Figures like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. are painted alongside Chavez, who is placed at the top of the mural.
Following the release of the tarnishing allegations, numerous homages across the country dedicated to Chavez have faced erasure. In San Francisco, a mural in the Mission District depicting Chavez is being replaced, according to ABC7. In Santa Ana, another mural of Chavez is being replaced as well, according to CBS News. At Paly, the mural still stands with no visible cry for removal.
The murals are merely a small piece of what’s happening following the allegations.
In East Palo Alto, Cesar Chavez Ravenswood Middle School, which hosts 600 students, is named after him. Following the allegations, on March 19, the Ravenswood School District in East Palo Alto announced plans to change the school’s name.
At a March 26 Ravenswood board meeting, community members came forward with their thoughts on renaming the middle school — Michelle Obama and Mama Dee Uhila arose as possibilities.
This is not the first time the broader area has seen a situation like this. Palo Alto has a history of middle schools being named after controversial figures. Both David Starr Jordan and Lewis Terman Middle School in Palo Alto were renamed after their involvement in eugenics resurfaced.
Not everyone approves of the proposed name change at Ravenswood Middle School. Board member Laura Nunez raised concerns over the choice to rename. “This is something that shows us that every human is flawed,” Nunez said at the meeting. “It [the school’s name] is not just about a person, it’s about a movement.”
Paly’s Responsive, Inclusive, Safe Environment club’s mission is to create awareness and acknowledgement around consent and sexual assault.
Leilani Chen, president of the RISE club, stands in agreement with those who are calling for the school to be renamed, specifically to be renamed after one of Chavez’s victims.
“It can be really difficult to appreciate the things that they [historical figures] did when we also know that they were hurting people in the process,” Chen said. “When we look at a portrait of him [Chavez] now, it can really get overshadowed by him doing these really terrible things.”
Paly history teacher Stephen Foug recalled other historical figures and their controversies in comparison to Chavez’s.
“I used to look up to Cesar Chavez, but now … it just throws all these things into question, how we look at individuals and their impact,” Foug said. “Individuals who have caused tremendous change and have had enormous flaws at the same time. Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. — there’s not a squeaky clean character out there in history, really.”
Foug also has concerns about moving away from Chavez too soon after the allegations.
“It’s the speed with which that [renaming] happens, where it could be [the] perfectly right [decision], but I just don’t trust it,” Foug said. “It would be like a jury that convicts too fast … It also makes you scared to say, ‘am I a Chavez apologist [sympathetic towards Chavez]?’”
When it comes to the mural, Chen shares some of Foug’s conflicted feelings.
“I think the message of the mural is clear: it’s about celebrating people of color. If you look at the mural, there are a lot of figures that are people of color, and it’s also about perseverance,” Chen said. “I would just change it, [because] I think it could definitely be triggering to see people who are known to have committed acts of sexual violence, or any type of violence, portrayed in a way where we’re kind of honoring them.”