Phoenix Union district renames Cesar Chavez holiday

One of the only school districts in Arizona to observe Cesar Chavez day voted to permanently rename the holiday Thursday.

The Phoenix Union High School District board renamed the April 6 holiday to Farmworkers’ Movement Day in a 5-1 vote with two members abstaining. The 2026-27 class will be the last to recognize the holiday under Chavez’ name.

After a New York Times investigation in March found extensive evidence that the Farmworkers’ Movement co-founder Cesar Chavez had sexually abused young girls, cities across Arizona denounced the late activist and swiftly renamed a slew of streets, monuments and public spaces sanctified with his name. PXU was just one of the public entities across the state to condemn Chavez.

This final move to erase Chavez’ legacy from PXU came after the board voted to permanently rename the former Cesar Chavez High School to Cactus Canyon High School in May, a decision estimated to cost the district more than $2 million, according to Superintendent Thea Andrade.

A community poll distributed by the district showed Cactus Canyon to be the most popular choice among students, so 2027 graduates will be the first to have the name listed on their diplomas.

“We will not allow the actions of one individual to overshadow the thousands of farmworkers, families, organizers and all who built this movement,” said President Fransisco I. Pastor-Rivera. “April 6, 1966, marks a pivotal victory in that movement. That date represents something bigger than one man.”

Pastor-Rivera bought forth the item to the council agenda and initiated its vote. He explained that as a young Chicano growing up in Arizona, it was painful to confront Chavez’ actions after he was raised to believe that the leader represented “dignity, sacrifice and power of working people to demand justice.”

No other council member voiced disagreement with Pastor-Rivera. Clerk Lizette Mier was the only member to vote no. She pointed to a lack of feedback from PXU as her reason for dissent.

“I’m open to the idea of the farmworkers movement and also the idea of honoring the Civil Rights or honoring another legacy in Phoenix,” explained Mier. “I think I would be interested in not voting on anything immediately right now without (community) input.”

Ward 3 Councilmember Debbie Cross commented that she liked Rivera’s choice to propose a name similar to Phoenix’s Farmworkers’ Day to avoid any confusion. Although Phoenix recognizes the day on March 31, not April 6.

Phoenix City Council removed Chavez’ name from any city-owned assets alongside the name change on March 25.

“When survivors come forward and painful truths are brought to light, we have a responsibility to listen, to acknowledge that harm, and to act,” said District 5 Councilmember Betty Guardado in a press release. “We cannot continue to honor individuals in ways that conflict with the values we hold as a city—especially when those values include protecting women, children, and the most vulnerable.”

Governor Katie Hobbs also took action to repeal the holiday on a state level. Hobbs said that she would like to find other ways to honor farmworkers, the “backbone” of Arizona’s economy in an April 1 press release.

Gwendolyn Owen is a student at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Arizona State University.