Farmworkers Denounce Cesar Chavez, But Celebrate 'The Fighter for Social Justice'

Advocates push for safer working conditions, higher wages, and reduced pesticide use despite recent events marring Chavez's legacy.

Apr. 1, 2026 at 12:36am

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The fight for farmworker rights continues in California's Central Valley, with advocates like the Nunez family pushing for safer working conditions, higher wages, and reduced pesticide use, despite recent events that have marred the legacy of civil rights leader Cesar Chavez. While the state has renamed March 31 from Cesar Chavez Day to Farmworkers Day, the Nunez family remains committed to honoring Chavez's activism and continuing the fight for social justice.

Why it matters

The Central Valley is a major agricultural region, and the struggles of farmworkers for better working conditions, fair pay, and environmental protections have long been a critical issue. The renaming of Cesar Chavez Day to Farmworkers Day reflects the complex legacy of the civil rights leader, as advocates seek to move the focus to the ongoing needs and challenges faced by the farmworker community.

The details

Third-generation farmworker Xochitl Nunez says she 'holds onto the activist, the fighter for social justice' in Cesar Chavez, while denouncing other aspects of his legacy. Nunez has followed in Chavez's footsteps as an advocate, retracing the historic march from Delano to Sacramento. Today, she continues advocating for safer working conditions, higher wages, and reduced pesticide use, drawing on her own experiences as a survivor of sexual assault and her family's generational legacy in the fields.

  • March 31 has been renamed 'Farmworkers Day' in California, replacing the previous Cesar Chavez Day holiday.

The players

Xochitl Nunez

A third-generation farmworker who has followed in Cesar Chavez's footsteps as an advocate, retracing the historic march from Delano to Sacramento and continuing to fight for safer working conditions, higher wages, and reduced pesticide use.

Alex Nunez

Xochitl Nunez's son, a fourth-generation farmworker who is continuing the work in the fields and the push for change, calling for an end to the use of pesticides that are harming workers and their families.

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What they’re saying

“I think I hold onto the activist, I hold onto the fighter for social justice. Everything else I denounce.”

— Xochitl Nunez, Third-generation farmworker

“In the fields, [women] are vulnerable to violence. We're vulnerable to attacks, and I never want women to hide what's happening to them.”

— Xochitl Nunez, Third-generation farmworker

“Stop using pesticides that are killing not only me but the children, but the babies, but the people that are working here. They're people who are out here picking these for your belly. They're here for you. Why aren't you here for them?”

— Alex Nunez, Fourth-generation farmworker

What’s next

The Nunez family and other farmworker advocates will continue to push for policy changes and increased protections for workers in the Central Valley, including measures to address pesticide use, workplace safety, and sexual harassment.

The takeaway

This story highlights the complex legacy of Cesar Chavez and the ongoing struggle for farmworker rights, with advocates like the Nunez family carrying on the fight for social justice and better working conditions, even as they denounce certain aspects of Chavez's past. The renaming of the holiday to Farmworkers Day reflects the need to focus on the current challenges facing the community, while honoring the spirit of activism that Chavez embodied.