CALIFORNIA — An investigation published Wednesday detailed allegations that civil rights leader Cesar Chavez groomed and sexually abused girls and women involved in the United Farm Workers during the 1960s and 1970s. Civil rights leader Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the union with Chavez, said she had two non-consensual sexual encounters with him that resulted in pregnancies.

"The first time I was manipulated and pressured into having sex with him, and I didn't feel I could say no because he was someone that I admired, my boss and the leader of the movement I had already devoted years of my life to. The second time I was forced, against my will, and in an environment where I felt trapped," Huerta said. She said she kept the pregnancies secret and arranged for the children to be raised by other families.

Ana Murguia and Debra Rojas said they were sexually abused by Chavez from around 1972 to 1977 when he was in his 40s and they were girls. "I carried this secret for as long as I did because building the movement and securing farmworker rights was my life's work," she said.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said he was open to renaming Cesar Chavez Day in the state. "The farm workers movement and labor movement are much bigger than one man, and I stand with the courageous women like Dolores Huerta," Newsom said. Republican Assemblywoman Alexandra Macedo filed legislation to change the name of Cesar Chavez Day to Farmworker Day.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said, "The sickening reality is that what Dolores, Ana, and Debra endured is not isolated, nor is it of the past."

The United Farm Workers union said it was cancelling its participation in Cesar Chavez Day celebrations and that it had not received any direct reports or firsthand knowledge of the allegations. The Cesar Chavez Foundation said it is working with farmworker movement leaders to respond to the allegations and support those who may have been harmed.

The investigation relied on interviews with more than 60 people, including former top aides, relatives, and former members of the United Farm Workers, as well as on union records, confidential emails, photographs, and recordings of UFW board meetings. Chavez died in 1993 at age 66 after leading national boycotts and marches to support farmworkers from the 1950s onward.

Chavez's family said they are devastated by the reports and praised the women's courage to come forward.