San Jose City College has been re-evaluating its connection to César Chávez after a New York Times investigation alleged that he had raped women and girls in the farmworkers’ movement. Both SJCC and the city of San Jose have buildings and public art honoring Chávez, and the broader legacy of the movement he represented.

While the city of San Jose has moved quickly to distance itself from Chávez, SJCC has taken a more cautious approach. The school has its own connection to him through a 1976 speech he gave on campus. The César E. Chávez Library is named after Chávez, and the side of the building is covered in a mural featuring him, completed in late 2024.

In a campus-wide March 18 email, SJCC’s president, Dr. Marilyn Flores, said there would be “no immediate changes” to the library or mural. Rather, she said, the focus of César Chávez Day on March 31 would be shifted, “…to center on the broader farmworker movement rather than on any one individual.”

A town hall discussion was also held on March 24, allowing students and staff to ask questions and share their thoughts on what the next steps should be. Cindy Huynh, an ethnic studies professor, and Lisa Brigandi, a librarian, both read statements on behalf of their departments.

“This represents a moment of requiem to seek out and rectify the abusive voices and representation in our archives and curriculum,” Huynh read. “This is also an invitation to step away from the romanticized legacies that leave us waiting for our savior, and into a reality women of color have always intuitively known.”

“As a library, we unanimously assert that the personal name, César Chávez, must immediately be removed from the library name,” Brigandi stated. “…Though we originally had two faculty librarians on the naming committee, the library does not define itself in reference to any one individual, but rather self-identifies with the San Jose City College community that it proudly serves.”

Carlos Rodriguez, the artist behind the mural, was also at the town hall. While the mural prominently features Chávez, Rodriguez clarified that his intention was much more nuanced.

“…I realized that he wouldn’t be who he was without all the support around him, but it was also important for me to not do the same thing that happens with every other Chávez mural, which is put a bunch of the other important people around him,” Rodriguez said. “…I felt that any one of these individuals, any one of these characters, deserves their own wall, deserves their own story being told.”

SJCC has taken some steps to distance itself from Chávez while permanent changes are discussed. His name has been covered up on campus directory maps, and a sign for survivors of sexual violence was placed outside the library.

If you have been a victim of sexual abuse, SJCC provides free on-campus counseling. They are located in the Robert N. Chang Student Center in SC-109, and can be reached at (408) 288-3147. You can also reach out to RAINN’s sexual assault hotline.