City of Austin seeks public feedback on renaming César Chávez Street

The City of Austin is looking for public feedback in renaming César Chávez Street, an important street that connects downtown and East Austin. The City calls it a "possible renaming," showing that the change is not guaranteed. There are three public meetings on the calendar now, scheduled for August 11, 15, and 18.

The street is currently named after the famous Mexican American labor organizer. But in March, activist Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) with Chávez and other activists, accused Chávez of sexual abuse. Huerta released a statement in response to an investigation by the New York Times.

"I have encouraged people to always use their voice. Following the New York Times’ multi-year investigation into sexual misconduct by Cesar Chavez, I can no longer stay silent and must share my own experiences," Huerta said.

Later in the statement she explained, "I carried this secret for as long as I did because building the movement and securing farmworker rights was my life’s work. ... Cesar’s actions do not reflect the values of our community and our movement. The farmworker movement has always been bigger and far more important than any one individual."

The City has narrowed its asks down to "two main topics," a press release says. One is whether or not the City should rename the street, and the next is what the potential new name should be.

Austinites can bring their own ideas, but the City will get the conversation started by sharing some history about the street. Meetings will also consider how the renaming process will work and how nearby businesses may be affected by a change.

The street's past names were Water Avenue in the original city plan from 1839, and then simply First Street in 1887, the release recounts. It also points out that East Austinites formerly called it La Primera. Returning to First Street seems to be an overwhelmingly popular idea, based on social media comments.

If Austinites want to find a solution in the original spirit of the César Chávez name, which the City chose in 1993, it will have to touch on some of the same topics the City was inspired by: "Austin’s Mexican American, Chicano, and broader Latino communities and their connections to the farmworker movement, organized labor, civil rights, and civic life."

Two of the meetings will happen in person. The third will be held on the video conference app Zoom. Anyone can also submit an online survey to share their thoughts.

The three public meetings take place as follows:

• Tuesday, August 11, 5-7 pm at Austin Public Library's Central Library (710 W. César Chávez St.)
• Saturday, August 15, 2-4 pm at Sanchez Elementary School (73 San Marcos St.)
• Tuesday, August 18, 6-8 pm via Zoom (register here)