“The accounts shared by Dolores Huerta and the other women who have spoken out are deeply troubling.
The labor movement that was born here in the San Joaquin Valley was founded on the principle that ex/ploitation has no place in a just society. It was built on the conviction that every person deserves to be treated with dignity. What these women and young girls endured is a profound betrayal of that moral foundation. That they endured these alleged abuses in silence for years because they didn’t want to harm those ideals speaks volumes about the truth that they knew – they would not be believed.
I am grateful for their bravery in believing that we are now capable of honoring the genuine progress of a movement while holding its leader accountable. We must hold both truths: the real change that was won in the fields of this Valley, and the real harm that was hidden behind closed doors. That capacity for honest reckoning is a sign of strength and growth in our society.
As Board Chair, I want to be unequivocal: no person, no matter their stature or their contributions, is beyond accountability. No legacy is above scrutiny, and no survivor should have to carry their pain alone. Patterns of abuse thrive in silence. These women have broken that silence at great personal cost, and they deserve our full support and our commitment to the truth.”
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