Last week The New York Times published an investigation into Cesar Chavez, the late Mexican American labor leader and civil rights activist, detailing allegations of sexual abuse involving women and underage girls. The accusations caused a ripple effect across Texas and the U.S., leading to calls from government officials and organizations to drop his name from streets, schools and holidays.
Gov. Gregg Abbott on Wednesday announced Texas will no longer observe Cesar Chavez Day and said he plans to ask lawmakers to remove the holiday from state law. Former Dallas City Council member Steve Salazar said the city should be open to renaming downtown Dallas’ Cesar Chavez Boulevard, after Salazar worked for over a decade to name the street after him.
The Dallas Morning News asked North Texans Friday morning on Instagram: As calls mount to remove Cesar Chavez landmarks in D-FW, who should be honored instead?
The callout yielded about 39 responses by Friday afternoon. Here are some of the notable names people suggested:
- Juanita Craft – The late American civil rights leader and Round Rock-born politician was the second African American woman to serve on the Dallas City Council, according to the city’s website. The Juanita J. Craft Civil Rights House in Dallas has over 40 artifacts related to the Dallas civil rights movement, and has been open as a historic landmark since 1994.
A September 1976 staff photo of Dallas City Council member Juanita Craft.
The Dallas Morning News
- Dirk Nowitzki – The NBA household name and retired Dallas Maverick star already has a street named after him – Nowitzki Way.
Retired Dallas Mavericks player Dirk Nowitzki poses for photos after unveiling a street sign with his name on Wednesday, October 30, 2019 outside American Airlines Center in Dallas. (Ashley Landis/The Dallas Morning News)
Ashley Landis / Staff Photographer
- Dolores Huerta – Huerta co-founded the United Farm Workers Association alongside Chavez in the 1960s. She is one of the most influential names in the world of labor activism, according to the National Women’s History Museum.
FILE – Dolores Huerta, the Mexican-American social activist who formed a farm workers union with Cesar Chavez, stands for the Pledge of Allegiance in Spanish while visiting the New Mexico Statehouse in Santa Fe. N.M., on Feb. 27, 2019. (AP Photo/Russell Contreras, File)
Russell Contreras / AP
- Owen Wilson – The Dallas-born actor and screenwriter, famous for movies such as Wedding Crashers, Shanghai Knights, Anaconda, Bottle Rocket and more, has won several awards. Wilson went to the University of Texas at Austin where he met award-winning director, Wes Anderson.
Dallas native Owen Wilson plays football on the field with friends on the NFL Network before Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium, Sunday, February 6, 2011.
- Vanessa Guillen – The 20-year-old Houston-born U.S. Army Specialist went missing from her Fort Hood unit in Central Texas on April 22, 2020. Her dismembered remains were found two months later. Her family said she was sexually harassed by a co-worker in her workplace.
People look at a mural honoring Spc. Vanessa Guillén painted by artist Juan Velasquez on a wall located at the corner of W Ripy St and Hemphill St in Fort Worth, TX July 6 2020. (Photo Omar Vega / Al Dia Dallas)
Omar Vega
- Mr. Peppermint – Jerome Martin “Jerry” Haynes was a Dallas-born broadcaster and actor. He is famous for his role as Mr. Peppermint from the show later named Peppermint Place that aired on WFAA-TV between 1961 and 1996, according to the Texas State Historical Association.
Jerry Haynes as Mr. Peppermint in a 1978 file photo.
- Stevie Ray Vaughan – The Dallas-born guitarist, singer and songwriter is widely recognized as a blues icon and one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Vaughan found success in the 1980s with his band Double Trouble and wrote hits such as “Texas Flood” and “Pride and Joy.” There is a park in Cockrell Hill dedicated to Vaughan.
Stevie Ray Vaughan (handout photo/1994)
- Charlie Kirk – The late American conservative political activist was the founder and president of Turning Point USA. The conservative nonprofit organization that operates in about 3,500 campuses across the nation was founded by Kirk in 2012. Kirk was fatally shot in September while addressing a crowd at Utah Valley University, which set off a series of vigils and gatherings in North Texas. Earlier this year, Hood County welcomed one of the first roads in the country named after Kirk – Charlie Kirk Memorial Parkway.
Charlie Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA, pauses during microphone check before the start of the first day of the Republican National Convention Monday, July 15, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
J. Scott Applewhite / AP
- Donald Trump – The 45th and 47th president of the United States is currently serving his second term. Trump was born in New York in 1946 and is the second president to serve non-consecutive terms, according to the White House website.
President Donald Trump waves, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, before departing on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, March 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Alex Brandon / AP
- Irma Rangel – In November 1976, Rangel became the first Hispanic woman elected to the Texas Legislature, according to the Texas A&M University’s website. She was reelected to her thirteenth term in 1998. In Dallas, Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School stands in Fair Park as the first all girls’ public school in Texas.
- Rebecca Henry Hayes – The Galveston resident started the earliest organized effort for women’s suffrage in Texas in 1893, according to the Galveston and Texas History Center. Hayes led the women’s suffrage movement in Texas in the 1890s and was recruited to serve as the vice president for the National American Woman Suffrage Association in Texas.
- Chuck Norris – The iconic actor and martial arts master, who died Thursday at 86, is well known for his role in the show Walker, Texas Ranger. The show ran between 1993 and 2001, and was shot in Dallas-Fort Worth.
FILE – Chuck Norris, actor, mixed-martial arts champion and Air Force veteran, speaks during a promotional tour of “The Delta Force” movie in San Francisco on Feb. 4, 1986. (Steve Ringman/San Francisco Chronicle via AP, File)
Steve Ringman / AP
- Ann Richards – Born in Lakeview, Texas, she served as the last democratic governor of the state from 1991 to 1995, according to the National Governor’s Association. She is one of only two women to serve as governor of Texas. The Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge in downtown Austin is dedicated to the late governor. In 2021, the city of Dallas paid tribute to Richards by displaying around 60 “Ann Banners” in downtown along Main, Akard and Young streets.
Former Texas Gov. Ann Richards is one of only two women to serve as governor of Texas so far. She is also the last Democrat to serve in the position that has since been held by Republicans.
