Hidden Villa Cesar Chavez Statement
The recent news that Cesar Chavez groomed and sexually abused girls and women over many years is deeply painful for us to process. Hidden Villa stands by the survivors who have come forward. What they have experienced is abuse. It is harmful and wrong. The courage it takes to speak publicly in the face of a powerful legacy deserves our full acknowledgment and our unwavering support.
Hidden Villa is joining the state of California and other organizations in renaming the holiday from Cesar Chavez Day to United Farm Workers’ Day, a name that centers the movement, the workers, and the many people who built it. We are also reviewing our interpretive materials and how we tell our story regarding the farm labor movement moving forward.
Hidden Villa’s connection to the farm workers movement is real and significant. In 1965, founders Frank and Josephine Duveneck opened this land to the National Farm Workers’ Movement, providing a space for Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez to organize what would become the first strike of California grape pickers. United Farm Workers’ (UFW) protests and strikes successfully secured higher wages, better working conditions, and improved benefits for agricultural workers.
Hidden Villa believes that justice requires honesty about history, about power, and about harm. We hold that belief, even when it is hard, and especially because it is.
To the survivors: We see you. We stand with you.
Land Acknowledgement
This land we call Hidden Villa is part of the ancestral homeland of the Tamien Nation and Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, with the Association of Ramaytush Ohlone as near neighbors. None of these groups ever agreed to surrender any of their lands. We recognize that we benefit from living, working, and recreating in their indigenous homelands. Indigenous people are still working every day to nurture their cultural traditions and ancestral relationships to the land. Hidden Villa commits itself to supporting these efforts, and we invite you to do the same.
You can start to learn more about the local tribes directly from their websites.
Equity Statement
We recognize and endeavor to remove barriers and create inclusive spaces that inspire appreciation for nature and one another. We embrace the legacy of our founders, Frank and Josephine Duveneck, to preserve people’s access to the land and expand the boundary of what inclusive community-building looks like in action.
We acknowledge that inequities in access to nature, food security, and environmental education opportunities are perpetuated by systems, and we want to play a positive role in changing them. Hidden Villa’s Board of Trustees and staff are committed to finding solutions and allocating resources to dismantle barriers to equitable access. To accomplish this, we practice reflection and celebrate diversity in all forms, mindfully serving our Bay Area communities. Through our farming practices, community partnerships, experiential education, and land stewardship, Hidden Villa expresses its values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
We are dedicated to building a community where individuals feel valued, heard, and seen. Working toward these goals is a continuous journey, and we may make mistakes along the way. Consequently, with a growth mindset, we commit to learning and continuously strive to embody these ideals. (Revised July 2025)
