Cesar Chavez Day has to go

California needs to rename Cesar Chavez Day.

No one wants to celebrate the legacy of a man who took advantage of women and and young girls over decades — no matter his other merits.

Earlier this week, the United Farm Workers (UFW) announced that it was canceling annual celebrations to honor Chavez, one of the union’s co-founders.

Chavez brought agricultural labor to the political fore. He brought pride to Latino residents of California. He even pioneered the slogan, “¡Si, se puede!” (“Yes, we can”), borrowed famously by Barack Obama.

But Chavez was also a predator — allegedly a violent one, at times. Worse, his movement covered up for him.

Women who wanted to speak out were silenced, or silenced themselves, for the sake of the cause.

Here’s the latest on the Cesar Chavez investigation fallout

A New York Times investigation exposed the truth. And the most damning testimony comes from Dolores Huerta, a labor icon in her own right.

Huerta, now 96, told the Times that Chavez raped her in a car in an isolated area 60 years ago, and had pressured her to have sex with him six years before that.

Both encounters resulted in pregnancy; she quietly gave her children away.

Her story is damning because she has impeccable political credibility, and because it suggests those around Chavez knew about his crimes and said nothing as he was made into a hero.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters

The American labor movement needs to reflect on its moral culpability. And California has to reckon with the dark side of Chavez’s legacy.

Many statues will need to be replaced. Many schools and libraries will need to be renamed.

And March 31 needs a new purpose.

Assemblywoman Alexandra Macedo, a Republican who represents a rural district, suggested renaming the day Farmworker Day.

That would rescue the people Chavez fought for from the infamy of his evil behavior.