‘s John Quiñones calls Cesar Chavez allegations ‘devastating’ after reporting on him for decades

The fallout continues after rape allegations have been made against civil rights icon Cesar Chavez. John Quiñones is sharing his insight on the shocking allegations after reporting on Chavez for News and looking up to him for years.

“He was our hero, and now to see this, it’s just devastating,” Quiñones told Eyewitness News Anchor Marc Cota-Robles in a one-on-one interview on Wednesday.

Quiñones says he grew up in a family of farmworkers, and Chavez meant so much for their movement. He said he started getting wind of a bombshell allegation about five days ago.

As a former farmworker himself — who admired the work of Chavez as a child — he, like so many people, was in shock to learn that Delores Huerta, now 95 years old, is one of the alleged victims. Huerta and Chavez co-founded United Farm Workers (UFW).

READ MORE: ‘I can no longer stay silent’: Dolores Huerta alleges sexual assault by Cesar Chavez

“She is the co-founder of UFW, of all alleged victims, and she calls herself a survivor,” Cota-Robles said in the interview.

“She doesn’t call herself a victim. Who would have thought? And she kept it quiet for all those decades because she believed in the cause, she didn’t want to destroy the cause, she says. She only came out now because these other women had spoken out about their attacks, their sexual assaults, and she didn’t want them hanging out there on their own. She thought they wouldn’t be taken seriously, and she wanted to be there for their support, and came out with her story now.”

Having met Chavez in the past and coming from a farmworking family, Quiñones said the allegations came as a surprise.

ORIGINAL REPORT: ‘Deeply troubling’ allegations against Cesar Chavez prompt United Farm Workers to cancel celebration

“Oh yeah, my sisters, who were out in the fields with us, were in tears yesterday when I told them what was coming down. So many folks believed in him. He was revered almost like a god-like figure. He was our only one. He was our hero, and now to see this is just devastating. I’m glad my parents didn’t see this, because they loved him, too,” he said.

Quiñones said he’s trying to get in contact with the women who have come forward, and says he doesn’t know if more allegations will surface.

“I don’t know. We’re trying to get to those who have spoken up, who did so in print. We don’t know that they’re going to want to appear on camera. My plan is to try to talk to Dolores Huerta, who is a dear friend and who wants to get her message out, as you saw in that beautiful statement. I want to hear more, and I want to hear about, you know, what she knew and when she knew it and what the people around her were saying. It’s just a tragedy, Marc, all the way around.”

“It was a five-year investigation by The New York Times. I think they got their ducks in order,” Quiñones added.

In her statement, Huerta said two alleged sexual encounters with Chavez led to pregnancies. She said she kept the pregnancies a secret, and both children were raised by other families. She added that she has a deep relationship with the children, and they are now close to their siblings, but no one knew the truth of how they were conceived until just a few weeks ago.

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As for the streets, schools and murals dedicated to Chavez across the state, Quiñones said he believes a lot of them will start to come down.

A statue of Chavez at Fresno State has already been covered up.

Although Chavez passed away more than 30 years ago, it’s unclear if any of the alleged victims will seek legal action. It’s unclear if anyone at UFW knew of the allegations and chose to keep them quiet.

Huerta released the following statement on Wednesday:

“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 sexual 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 sexual encounters with Cesar. 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.

I had experienced abuse and sexual violence before, and I convinced myself these were incidents that I had to endure alone and in secret. Both sexual 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 sexual 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 sexually 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.”