Following allegations against former United Farm Workers leader Cesar Chavez, efforts to rename Long Beach’s Cesar Chavez Park and Cesar Chavez Elementary School are still in the works six months later.
From the cancellation of Cesar Chavez Day events to California renaming the namesake holiday to Farmworkers Day, Chavez’s name has begun to fade from streets, schools, parks and facilities nationwide.
Both the City and Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) have taken action since a New York Times investigation, released on March 18, alleged that Chavez sexually assaulted Dolores Huerta, Ana Murguia and Debra Rojas for years.
While LBUSD has removed his name from the former Cesar Chavez Elementary School and painted over murals featuring him in it, the City of Long Beach has been slower to make similar strides.
Long Beach City Council gave unanimous approval to rename Cesar Chavez Park on March 24.
The process is currently being led by the City’s Office of Equity, along with a dedicated workgroup made up of representatives from multiple City departments including Parks, Recreation, and Marine (PRM); Health and Human Services; Library, Arts and Culture and the City’s Racial Health Equity team, according to Community Information Officer Jennifer De Prez.
The City’s Office of Equity, Acting Equity Officer Kimberly Marshall said their work group has developed a plan that will intentionally work to include leaders, organization and community members from the latine community as well as other communities who were instrumental to the Farmworkers Movement.
“We are nearing the end of our preparation phase and hoping to shift to implementation in October,” Marshall said in an email.
As of now, the signs, image plaque, and other parts of the park that mention Chavez remain unchanged.
A memorandum mentioning the park’s renaming was published on April 8 by the City’s Commission for Women & Girls (CWG). They expressed support for the council for acknowledging the situation and asked to be included in the process. The commission specifically requested the City consider women leaders during the idea-gathering stage.
Currently, the City is focused on collecting recommendations for City Council consideration. The City couldn’t provide the Signal Tribune with the estimated cost of the renaming process for the park.
One other location that has a reference to Chavez is a mural located at Seaside Park on 14th Street and Chestnut Avenue. The “Peacemakers” mural features 11 political and social activists, including Chavez and Huerta, and has not been modified as of late September.
“While PRM initiated preliminary discussions back in March, there has not been any formal determination as to whether or not the mural will be changed,” De Prez said in an email.
De Prez said the City will have more information to share with the public within the next few weeks, and it will be posted on the City’s website via a memo.
As for Cesar Chavez Elementary School, LBUSD has removed all visual displays referencing Chavez throughout the surface of the school, according to a letter sent to the district and school community on March 23.
Currently, there are no signs or any form of reference as of September, only “Elementary School” at the front entrance.
Two new murals in Chavez Elementary have been completed in the summer as part of this year’s Long Beach Walls, by artists Elizabeth Munzón and Ms. Yellow. The murals include Ms. Yellow’s “Siempre Adelante,” located at Maine Avenue at the exterior part of the school, while Munzón’s mural is located inside the campus in the school garden.
Regarding the school’s renaming efforts, LBUSD kicked off the official renaming efforts for the school during the back-to-school night held on Sept. 17.
In another letter sent by the school’s principal, Brenda Ocampo, she said submissions will be reviewed and narrowed by an advisory committee consisting of parent representatives and LBUSD director of engagement Lucy Salazar on Nov. 4.
Jorge Hernandez
Photojournalist
Jorge B. Hernandez is an aspiring photojournalist residing in Long Beach since birth, maintaining a deep familiarity with the community and its people to this day. Hernandez uses his photography as his voice as he seeks his goal to become one of the best photographers in Long Beach. Hernandez loves traveling and exploring places that are interesting and new to him.
View more of Jorge’s work on his website: jorgebhernandez.com.
