radiant animal

03/26/2026

03/18/2026

March 18, 2026

Today, civil rights leader Dolores Huerta issued the following statement:

“I am nearly 96 years old, and for the last 60 years have kept a secret because I believed that exposing the truth would hurt the farmworker movement I have spent my entire life fighting for.

I have encouraged people to always use their voice. Following the New York Times’ multi-year investigation into s*xual misconduct by Cesar Chavez, I can no longer stay silent and must share my own experiences.

As a young mother in the 1960s, I experienced two separate s*xual encounters with Cesar. The first time I was manipulated and pressured into having s*x 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.

I had experienced abuse and s*xual violence before, and I convinced myself these were incidents that I had to endure alone and in secret. Both s*xual encounters with Cesar led to pregnancies. I chose to keep my pregnancies secret and, after the children were born, I arranged for them to be raised by other families that could give them stable lives.

Over the years, I have been fortunate to develop a deep relationship with these children, who are now close to my other children, their siblings. But even then, no one knew the full truth about how they were conceived until just a few weeks ago.

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.

I have never identified myself as a victim, but I now understand that I am a survivor — of violence, of s*xual abuse, of domineering men who saw me, and other women, as property, or things to control.

I am telling my story because the New York Times has indicated that I was not the only one — there were others. Women are coming forward, sharing that they were s*xually abused and assaulted by Cesar when they were girls and teenagers.

The knowledge that he hurt young girls sickens me. My heart aches for everyone who suffered alone and in silence for years. There are no words strong enough to condemn those deplorable actions that he did. Cesar’s actions do not reflect the values of our community and our movement.

The farmworker movement has always been bigger and far more important than any one individual. Cesar’s actions do not diminish the permanent improvements achieved for farmworkers with the help of thousands of people. We must continue to engage and support our community, which needs advocacy and activism now more than ever.

I will continue my commitments to workers, as well as my commitment to women’s rights, to make sure we have a voice and that our communities are treated with dignity and given the equity that they have so long been denied.

I have kept this secret long enough. My silence ends here."

If you are a survivor or if you have been impacted by any type of s*xual violence, please visit the Dolores Huerta Foundation website, where you will find a list of resources for support. https://doloreshuerta.org/s*xual_assault_resources/

Read the full statement and Spanish-language version here: https://medium.com/p/e74c20430555?postPublishedType=initial

MEDIA CONTACT

Fenton Chief of Issue Advocacy & Crisis Management Lead Erik Olvera | eolvera@fenton.com | 415-994-3242

Lara Berthold | larabergthold@gmail.com

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01/15/2026

Join us tomorrow for blood memory & refreshments. We’ll be missing , but the title comes from her.

01/09/2026

Join me Saturday mornings for an alignment- based Dynamic Practice, 9-10:15am,

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12/24/2025

Thank you to my dear students for a wonderful year of yoga.

I continue to learn so much from each asana — who would have thought that each pose would be its own love story. I love sharing this with others, and the practice of relating to one’s own body. The foundational asana contain within them incredible genius or working supporting muscles that usually get drowned out by larger muscle groups (like the glutes and quads...) And though I’ve been ‘stronger’ or more ‘athletic’ in the past, the yoga balances the muscles, and make me feel way more beautiful and strong as a whole. Consider giving yourself or a friend this 4-class series at YogaSource, Sunday afternoons in January/February. This is a gently paced class, but you’d be surprised how strong you are when we work up to weight bearing asana.
Register at www.yogasource-santafe.com under workshops/series

gratitude

12/15/2025

“I came with an empty hand, I will go with an empty hand. Today the empire of yoga has grown by the grace of God and I have learnt also not to feel sorry if something happens. Time and circumstances played on me and I leave the future also to time. The new things, new visions which I introduced in yoga must not fade. Yoga is a growing subject and I'm sure that it is going to grow for several centuries to come. I may be called a legendary figure, which matters nil for me. But I like that these new introductions to this yoga does not die as I have blown the cosmic life into it. As life is dynamic, I've changed the static yoga into a dynamic yoga, and I hope that it will always be ascending with a geometric progression. I have got trained thousands of yoga teachers. Some teachers are not only direct pupils of mine but their pupils too have become yoga teachers. As all are my children, my greatgrandchildren who practice my method are also yoga teachers. Generations after generations are following it. You see here I have got students from four generations coming still. Even in London, if you make enquiries, there are three generations continuing since 1950s. Probably the quality of the blood, the genes, what we speak of today, I think my yoga has changed the quality of the genes in each individual who practises since years and I think, I feel that my method of yoga can never have an easy death. And that's why I'm happy.”

~ B.K.S. Iyengar