Chicagoans shocked by Chavez abuse allegations: The Rundown

Good afternoon! It’s Thursday, and today’s Lolla ticket sales reaffirmed how competitive many concerts have become. Here’s what you need to know today.

1. Allegations of abuse by César Chavez have saddened and shocked Chicago’s Latino community

Chavez, who died more than three decades ago, has long been revered in the city’s Latino and labor strongholds, with several murals and a public elementary school honoring him, Michael Puente writes for WBEZ. Chavez led the movement for farmworker rights in the 1960s and ’70s.

But a New York Times investigation found Chavez groomed and sexually abused young girls and women who worked in the movement, including fellow leader Dolores Huerta, in her 30s at the time.

In a statement yesterday, Huerta said she stayed silent for 60 years out of concern her words would hurt the farmworker movement. Huerta, a labor rights legend in her own right, joined Chavez in 1962 to co-found the National Farm Workers Association, which became the United Farm Workers of America. She described two sexual encounters with Chavez, one in which she was “manipulated and pressured” and another where she was “forced against my will.”

Now, there are some calls nationally to change events, memorials and public artworks created in Chavez’s honor.

“It took over 60 years for the truth to come out, and hopefully this will be a moment that it doesn’t have to take another 60 years for us to hold people who are abusers accountable,” said Angela Anderson Guerrero, president and CEO of Mujeres Latinas en Accion, a Pilsen-based organization for Latina survivors. “We believe Dolores. We believe the survivors coming forward in the New York Times. Their truth doesn’t change history. It just demands [of] us a future where no one is too important to be held accountable.” [WBEZ]

2. Gov. Pritzker flexed his political muscle through Juliana Stratton’s decisive Senate primary win

Gov. JB Pritzker helped push Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton across the finish line for her Senate primary win, and his endorsement boosted Margaret Croke for state comptroller too, Mitchell Armentrout writes for the Chicago Sun-Times.

But the billionaire Democratic governor brushed aside national media coverage casting him as Illinois’ kingmaker, as Pritzker weighs a presidential run and gears up for another battle with Republican gubernatorial nominee Darren Bailey.

With unprecedented super PAC dollars flowing into Chicago-area congressional races this year, Pritzker said he felt a responsibility to tap his own fortune to counter major spending by outside forces. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Stratton won 44 of Chicago’s 50 wards and was overwhelmingly supported by Black, Latino and white voters. She also performed well in suburban Cook County and downstate Illinois, two areas that helped cement her victory, my colleagues Tina Sfondeles and Alden Loury report.

Stratton’s camp had frequently heard her path to winning would require very strong numbers in Cook County and nothing else. Instead, she saw key support in downstate counties with population centers, reflecting a broad coalition and Pritzker’s popularity among Democrats in the state. [Chicago Sun-Times/WBEZ]

3. Funeral arrangements were announced for the Chicago firefighter who died after a Rogers Park blaze

Visitation will be held from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. March 26 at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel, 7740 S. Western Ave., the Chicago Fire Department announced yesterday. Funeral services will be held there at 10 a.m. March 27.

Michael Altman, who served on Truck 47 in Edgewater, responded to a fire at a four-flat in Rogers Park late Monday morning. When the floor collapsed, he fell into the flames. Altman suffered extensive injuries and died Tuesday morning at age 32, authorities said. He had been on the job for less than two years. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Chicago police arrested a man in connection to the fire yesterday on an unrelated warrant at Thorek Memorial Hospital. [Chicago Sun-Times]

4. The Hideout’s new owner plans to continue the venue’s legacy as a cultural institution and community hub

Teri O’Brien, a performing artist and former employee of the West Town space, takes the reins from former partners Tim and Katie Tuten and Mike and Jim Hinchsliff. The deal has been in the works for a year, Selena Fragassi reports for the Chicago Sun-Times.

The Hideout has hosted homegrown and national music acts, including Andrew Bird, Wilco, Mavis Staples and the storied Hideout Block Party; comedy nights with Hannibal Buress and Ramy Youssef; political offerings, including events with Politico and the ongoing panel event “Show Up Chicago”; as well as community events like the regularly scheduled Soup & Bread nights that aim to fight hunger in Chicago.

“The Hideout will stay the Hideout,” Tim Tuten said in a statement. “It will remain independent, creative and rooted in the community that built it. Teri knows our room, the people and our history, and she has the heart to carry it forward.” [Chicago Sun-Times]

5. Kenya Merritt was tapped to permanently lead Chicago’s cultural affairs department

Mayor Brandon Johnson appointed Merritt commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, a role she has filled on an interim basis since October.

As Courtney Kueppers reports for WBEZ, DCASE steers everything from large-scale Downtown events such as the Millennium Park summer music and film series to Taste of Chicago and Jazz Fest. It also gives grants to individual artists.

Merritt, a deputy mayor in the Johnson administration, was tapped for the cultural position after the mayor’s previous hand-picked leader and friend Clinée Hedspeth resigned the post. Hedspeth’s tenure included high staff turnover and allegations of bullying and sexual harassment. The City Council must now approve Merritt as commissioner. [WBEZ]

Here’s what else is happening

• Iran hit a Saudi refinery on the Red Sea and set ablaze Qatari liquefied natural gas facilities and two Kuwaiti oil refineries, sending international gas and oil prices soaring. [AP]
• Immigration enforcement officers are taking DNA samples from protesters they’ve arrested. [NPR]
• Medical experts are encouraging a shift toward lower blood pressure guidelines, pointing to studies linking high blood pressure and dementia. [New York Times]
• Chipotle now has cilantro lime sauce. [Parade]

Oh, and one more thing …

Among the 13 U.S. institutions dedicated to recent presidents, only one features a notable commission: an expansive mural created in 1960-61 by regionalist Thomas Hart Benton for the lobby of the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum in Independence, Missouri.

Chicago will be the exception, keeping with former President Barack Obama’s vision for a presidential center, arts contributor Kyle MacMillan reports. Obama and his wife, Michelle, envisioned art as a fundamental part of the $800 million Obama Presidential Center when it opens on Juneteenth after 10 years of planning and construction.

At the couple’s impetus, 28 artists have been commissioned to create 26 large-scale works for the four-building complex inhabiting 19.3 acres on Chicago’s South Side. The Jackson Park site, intended as a vehicle for youth engagement and community revitalization, will not hold Oval Office archives. Instead, Chicagoans will experience a community hub through the campus athletic center, library branch and art gallery. [WBEZ/Chicago Sun-Times]

Tell me something good …

What’s something you would tell your younger self?

Paul writes:

“I’d tell my younger self to value every positive experience and take advantage of opportunities that might push you a bit outside your comfort zone. Those experiences and opportunities will be precious memories when you get older.”

Jim writes:

“Like my mom always said: Follow your heart, but use your head! I’d add: do it now. Who knows what tomorrow may bring?”

Feel free to email me, and your response may be included in the newsletter this week.