EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS:

Within hours of explosive sexual abuse allegations against the revered labor leader César Chavez, officials at a California university took swift action: First, a black cloth over a campus statue of Chavez, later followed by a plywood box hiding it from public view. Soon, officials said, it will be taken down.

The statue at California State University, Fresno, is just one of scores of monuments, city streets and elementary schools that honor Chavez ’s name and his labor movement legacy across the nation. The Associated Press identified many locations or objects in at least 19 states named after Chavez, including libraries, streets, community centers and public parks.

Suddenly the name has become more of a stain. Some of the institutions and local governments overseeing sites across the country bearing the Chavez name have already started the process of erasing it. Besides buildings and street signs, they also want to take steps to rename César Chavez Day, a federally proclaimed holiday that falls on his March 31 birthday.

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READ AP'S COVERAGE:

Chavez name, once an honor, now carries a stain that officials want to scrub

Photos of tributes that honor César Chavez. Some are under review after sex abuse allegations

California’s Gov. Newsom supports move to rename César Chavez Day over alleged sexual abuse

César Chavez Day events renamed, postponed or canceled after sexual abuse allegations

Dolores Huerta ends her silence, champions decades of advocacy for marginalized groups

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FIND YOUR COMMUNITY: LOCATIONS AND OBJECTS NAMED FOR CHAVEZ

The Associated Press identified a number of locations or objects in at least 19 states named after Chavez, including libraries, streets, community centers and public parks. The confirmed data is included in this spreadsheet.

Note: This is an initial list and not comprehensive. This data should be considered a starting point and resource for your local reporting.

These states are included in the spreadsheet. (It's possible there are locations included in states not named here. See reporting suggestions below.):

ARIZONA

CALIFORNIA

COLORADO

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

IDAHO

ILLINOIS

MARYLAND

MICHIGAN

MINNESOTA

MISSOURI

NEVADA

NEW MEXICO

NEW YORK

OHIO

OKLAHOMA

OREGON

TEXAS

UTAH

WASHINGTON

WISCONSIN

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ATTACHED ARE PHOTOS FROM THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS

Arizona: Laveen, Phoenix

California: Fresno, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco

District of Columbia

Maryland: Hyattsville

Michigan: Detroit

Oregon: Portland

Texas: Dallas

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CONSIDER THESE REPORTING THREADS

— AP's list is not comprehensive, though it does contain most major landmarks named for Chavez. Naming conventions can be pretty local for streets and other locations. There is no central database for it all. Do internet and web map searches in your area for places named after him. In AP's list, more than half of the sites are schools.

— Is Chavez currently honored by a day in your state? Is it a school holiday? Contact local and state officials and ask their response to the allegations and what they think is the best course of action for days and public memorials honoring Chavez. Also reach out to private groups and organizations that had their own events planned. Do they intend to hold a new event honoring farm workers or other individuals instead?

— Possible people and organizations to start with are the Cesar Chavez Foundation (pressinquiries@chavezfoundation.org), which also operates the National Chavez Center. Several California universities including San Francisco State University, San Jose State University and University of California, Los Angeles have facilities or academic departments named for Chavez. It is likely there are professors in Chicano or Latino history who can comment on Chavez as well as school officials who can possibly comment on the future of Chavez namesake buildings.

— Consider looking at the local history of the farmer workers movement if it was or is active in your area — any local stories, figures or accomplishments that stand out?

— Talk to local union leaders about the influence of Chavez and Huerta and whether/how the abuse accusations could influence the labor movement today.

— Find out what governing body will decide on whether to rename sites, and if officials plan to seek any community input before any changes.

— Ask local historians/officials about any previous renaming of landmarks, schools, etc., due to controversies over their namesakes, such as statues of Confederate soldiers or places named after people responsible for Native American massacres.

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