Johnny Itliong Pushes to Restore Larry Itliong's Legacy at 61 as Chavez Abuse Claims Roil UFW History
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 24
Johnny Itliong Pushes to Restore Larry Itliong's Legacy at 61 as Chavez Abuse Claims Roil UFW History
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 24
Summary
At 61, Johnny Itliong says sexual-abuse accusations against Cesar Chavez have created a rare opening to elevate his father Larry Itliong’s role in the farmworker movement.
The allegations — involving girls who were daughters of farmworker organizers — have triggered a broader reckoning over Chavez, one of the nation’s best-known Latino civil rights figures.
Johnny Itliong said he has spent decades pressing the United Farm Workers to honor Larry Itliong, the Filipino American labor leader he says was long overshadowed by Chavez.
That imbalance endures in California: Chavez’s name appears on schools, streets and libraries, while Larry Itliong remains far less recognized even in Delano, where he lived and died.