Commentary: On the avenue that bears Csar Chvez's name, murals honoring him remain for now
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I wasn’t sure what to expect when I went to check out the César Chávez murals on the Eastside avenue that bears his name.The thoroughfare is a celebrated showcase for public art, and Chávez was a favored mural subject in Mexican American communities for decades after his death in 1994.
But according to a bombshell New York Times investigation in March, Chávez sexually abused minors.Since then, other revelations have further tarnished the legacy of the Chicano labor and civil rights leader long considered a secular saint.
Communities soon removed statues and busts of him and scrubbed his name from streets, parks and schools.California lawmakers rebranded César Chávez Day, a state holiday, as Farmworkers Day.
Both the city and county of Los Angeles are exploring whether to rename Avenida Cesar E.Chavez, which starts in Chinatown and ends near East Los Angeles College in Monterey Park.I have no issue with any of that — communities should decide who and what they honor.
But murals are different.They capture a time and place and speak to a people’s history, aspirations and aesthetics.
Whitewashing or altering them because of the sins of their subjects is out of the playbook of despots who erase history or twist it to suit modern-day needs.1 2 1.
Los Angeles, CA - March 24: A mural of famous people on Cesar Chavez Ave on Tuesday, March 24, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times (Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times) 2.
Los Angeles, CA - March 24: A mural detail of Robert Kennedy and Cesar Chavez on Tuesday, March 24, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times (Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times) It’s also the easy way out of grappling with Chávez’s legacy.
He meant so much to so many for so long.To cancel him, no matter how depraved his actions against young women, is not the reckoning Mexican Americans need to have ab...