Colorado renames César Chávez Day in honor of farmworkers just in time for today's holiday

Nick Coltrain, The Denver Post on Mar 31, 2026

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DENVER — Colorado is recognizing Tuesday as Farm Workers Day after lawmakers rushed through a renaming of the state holiday that previously honored disgraced civil rights and labor leader César Chávez.

Gov. Jared Polis’ office signed the legislation into law in a private signing ceremony with sponsors Tuesday morning, according to his office. The final legislative vote, on Monday, came a week after it was heard in its first committee and as lawmakers raced to stop one more César Chávez Day, recognized every March 31, from being celebrated.

The bill passed both the Senate and House unanimously. It was sponsored by House Majority Leader Monica Duran and Rep. Lorena Garcia and Sens. Lisa Cutter and Jessie Danielson, all Democrats.

On March 18, The New York Times published a multiyear investigation that found Chávez, who died in 1993, sexually abused numerous women and girls. Polis “is glad the legislature took action to rename César Chávez Day in light of these heinous allegations, allowing the state to use the day to celebrate and honor Colorado farm workers,” spokesman Eric Maruyama said in a statement.

States across the country have moved quickly to rename the holiday to honor the movement, not the man. Colorado recognizes March 31 as a voluntary legal holiday, with state offices remaining open.

But despite the speed, tensions among lawmakers regarding how best to move forward have boiled to the forefront.

On Friday, the Senate amended the bill to rename the holiday only for the next two years and to require future legislative action to adopt a name for future observances. The House accepted the changes Monday in order to send the bill to Polis’ desk, but the sponsors made their displeasure clear.

“This is not the bill I fought for, and it is not what communities have asked for,” Duran told colleagues during the final vote Monday afternoon. “A two-year sunset puts an expiration date on dignity. It tells farmworkers and survivors that their truth comes with a timeline. That’s not justice. That’s compromise.”

But, she continued, “walking away does not move (survivors) forward, and I will not walk away from them.”

Sen. Julie Gonzales, a Denver Democrat, ran the amendment Friday. She said previously that she wanted to create space so the Latino community and survivors could decide the best long-term path forward.

Gonzales said that in her office she has a signed portrait of Dolores Huerta, the co-founder of the National Farm Workers Association, along with Chávez — and one of his victims.

“She has always been an inspiration to me, and to countless others,” Gonzales said in a statement following the House vote. “Her strength as a leader in the fight for justice and as a survivor is unparalleled. It is my hope that, over the coming year, community members will process, metabolize, and heal from the devastating news that led to the change in the holiday’s name.

“Colorado has long been home to trailblazers, and I trust our community to identify leaders worthy of recognition. I also hope that the process itself will lead to healing. In the meantime, I look forward to celebrating Farmworkers Day (on Tuesday).”

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