A Statement from the Board of Directors of FIELD / EPIC

The Board of Directors of the Farmworkers Institute for Education and Leadership Development (FIELD) and EPIC High School are aware of recent investigative reporting, including the March 18, 2026 article published by The New York Times, detailing allegations that the late labor leader César Chávez engaged in a pattern of grooming, sexual abuse, and sexual assault involving multiple women. The reporting includes accounts from individuals whose statements are consistent and corroborated in material respects.

These reports are deeply troubling. We recognize the courage it takes for individuals to come forward, particularly in the context of longstanding power dynamics within social movements. We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness and acknowledge the profound harm described.

FIELD and EPIC were founded to advance the dignity, education, and economic empowerment of farmworker communities. While our organization has historically been associated with César Chávez as a symbolic figure within that movement, our mission, governance, and operations are independent of any individual, past or present.

In light of the seriousness and credibility of the recent reporting, the Board has initiated a formal review of the organization’s historical associations, including certain aspects of our identity and affiliations, to ensure alignment with our core values. This review will be conducted with a clear priority: ensuring that every aspect of our organization reflects our core values of respect, safety, accountability, and integrity.

We want to be equally clear about what does not change. FIELD and EPIC do not condone, excuse, or minimize conduct of the nature described in these reports. Our commitment is, and has always been, to the communities we serve — particularly vulnerable populations who must be able to trust that the institutions serving them operate with the highest ethical standards.

We are engaging in this process with care, transparency, and a willingness to listen — especially to those whose voices have too often been unheard. We will take appropriate action based on the outcome of this review.  We also recognize the collective and lifelong contributions of many individuals within the Chávez family who have supported farmworker communities with utmost devotion over generations. Our review is focused on ensuring alignment with our values and should not be understood as a reflection on those broader contributions.

Our focus remains on our mission: providing education, leadership development, and opportunity to farmworkers, students, and families. The movement has always been about the collective strife of an underserved community — that mission stands independent of any one individual and will continue to guide our path forward.