Update: Artist open to changing Modesto mural after Chavez allegations emerge
A mural painted in 2024 in front of the Peace/Life Center on 13th Street in Modesto faces an uncertain future as allegations against the late labor leader Cesar Chavez come to light.
The mural, by Merced-based artist Joel Aguilar, depicts a farmworker in a field on one side of the building, with Chavez’s face in the background. Partially silhouetted in the foreground is Chavez’s United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta, holding a sign that reads “Organize.”
As the Peace/Life Center decides exactly what to do about the mural, a temporary move was to put a sign over Chavez’s face, reading “No mas! Stand with Survivors.” Board member Megan Paravanno painted the sign Wednesday.
Chavez, who died in 1993, is accused of raping and molestating two underage girls in the 1970s, as well as raping Huerta while they were both engaged in farmworker unionization efforts.
“I was shocked and surprised and saddened that a figure of such import had this history,” said James Costello, head of the Peace/Life Center.
Aguilar said he would be open to making changes to the mural. “To honor [Huerta] would be the right thing,” he said. “So if I got something from the team, or even from her. … I support her.”
The center met over Zoom on March 18 and determined the best course of action would be to cover the Chavez section of the mural while members connected with Aguilar.
“I think the feeling would be to act on this and not wait a long time to decide on how to move forward,” Costello said.
Huerta posed in front of the mural in downtown Modesto in 2025 after not attending its debut.
Huerta had two children as a result of Chavez’s sexual assaults, according to a multi-year investigation by The New York Times. She said she was unaware of his alleged sexual abuse of children.
Huerta and Chavez are often mentioned together in celebrations of the farmworker movement, a fact she addressed in a statement Wednesday:
“I carried this secret for as long as I did because building the movement and securing farmworker rights was my life’s work. The formation of a union was the only vehicle to accomplish and secure those rights and I wasn’t going to let Cesar or anyone else get in the way. I channeled everything I had into advocating on behalf of millions of farmworkers and others who were suffering and deserved equal rights.”
Aguilar said the mural’s intent was to highlight the farmworker community.
“It was a message of remembrance and to be knowledgeable and aware of our past,” Aguilar said.
Huerta was the main guest speaker at the Peace/Life Center’s annual Martin Luther King Day event in 2018, where she stayed and spoke with members after the event.
“I just marveled at her energy,” Costello said.
Aguilar said he’s still processing the news about Chavez. “It’s tragic to hear how she was treated by someone that is supposed to be your right-hand man,” he said of Huerta.
Aguilar will provide a few options for the center to consider to replace the Chavez section of the mural long-term.
This story was originally published March 18, 2026 at 3:55 PM with the headline "Update: Artist open to changing Modesto mural after Chavez allegations emerge."
