ST. PAUL, MN— Minnesota State Representative María Isa Pérez-Vega (DFL-Saint Paul) will introduce legislation to repeal César Chávez Day (Minn. Stat. § 10.555). This urgent proposal follows a New York Times investigation into the sexual abuse and predatory behavior by Chávez against young women, including Dolores Huerta, the co-founder of the National Farm Workers Association in the 1960s.
“The pain and trauma survivors carry is a weight that can’t be erased by replacing signs and names on buildings or repealing this state holiday, but it’s a step forward for healing,” said Rep. Pérez-Vega. “The harm has been done; the only way forward is believing survivors, providing resources for their healing, and staying committed to the fight for every victim silenced by sexual assault.”
“The New York Times report yesterday was horrifying and deeply troubling," said House DFL Leader Zack Stephenson. “We believe women who come forward in these difficult situations, and this is yet another example of men in a position of power taking advantage of women. We have a responsibility to hear these stories and act. House DFLers are prepared to move quickly to pass this legislation, and I'm grateful to Representative Pérez-Vega for bringing this bill forward.”
Gender-based violence is deadly in Minnesota and the statistics are compelling. According to the 2022 Status of Women and Girls in Minnesota report, at least 21 Minnesotans were killed by a current or former partner in 2019. The National Human Trafficking Hotline reports 47% of victims of sex and labor exploitation in the U.S. are Latine, which is outsized to Latine people making up 20% of the population.
In the 2024 legislative session, under the DFL Trifecta, lawmakers passed a bill to establish a Task Force on Preventing Violence Against Latine/a Women. The task force reviews issues related to violence against Latine/a women, girls, and LGBTQIA people and make recommendations to reduce and end that violence.
The law builds upon previous initiatives focused on missing and murdered women, girls, and gender expansive peoples in the African American and Indigenous communities. This law expands those efforts to focus on violence prevention and to address the unique needs of the Latine community to prevent violence, investigate the high incidence of gender-based violence, including LGBTQIA Minnesotans, and to fund this critical state-wide work.
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