Viva Dolores!

by Ernie McCray

Oh, I wish so much of the news
didn’t give me the blues,
as hearing Dolores Huerta weigh in
on Cesar Chavez’s sexual abuse
of women and minor children
with allegations
of situations
he put her in
darkened my soul
like midnight
on a moonless night,
making me weep
as I read of her emotional pain,
of how she has kept quiet
over time
so as not to bring negative attention
to the United Farm Worker’s struggles,
knowing that it could have drastically
slowed the movement down
or even
brought it to an end,
and, as it was with her,
the knowledge that he hurt young girls
sickens me too,
to my very core,
especially since
I’ve not held any heroes
higher than the both of them
in the entirety of my being.

But in a world of patriarchy,
Cesar has been the human image,
the face
of the historic non-violent campaign
for better wages and working conditions
and collective bargaining rights,
so much of the dull ache
I’m feeling,
due to that,
stems from how deeply I admired him,
how strongly I was influenced by him,
how dearly I loved him.

I mean, one of my most sacred honors
was receiving a humanitarian award named after him,
and nothing has brought me more joy
than having once
helped a class of elementary students
refine a play
they performed about him when he was a little boy,
adding touches to their drama with a song
about him being a friend of all of humankind,
a man
who showed what love can do
as he helped a people to stand up tall,
bringing them into the light
before the world,
and I’ll always treasure the times
I’ve spent
with the “Chavistas,”
school children
of the Cesar Chavez Service Clubs,
an organization created
by two dear friends of mine
who worked in the farm movement for years
to set kids on paths
to becoming their better selves,to believing in themselves
to being peaceful loving respectful people
who give to the communityas seekers of unity
in our world
in the manner of the United Farm Workers…

Thinking of them
makes me feel sadder
regarding hearing of Cesar’s dark-side

but now that his name
will be removed from
schools and parks and streets and holidays
and awards
and the like
we can now
place Dolores Huerta
in the limelight
as a symbol of inspiration
and hope
for younger generations
as they, as they must,
keep the spirit
of the movement alive.

Viva Dolores!