And they say this has been difficult to come to terms with allegations of sexual abuse levied at the late, legendary labor leader, but it doesn't change the work they're doing and the change they hope to make.
"It was definitely gutwrenching and slightly betraying, and there was a lot of grieving process," said Sandra Pardo.
"It's been really difficult to hold both truths at the same time that Cesar Chavez was a leader for our community, for the laborers' labor rights movement. And like many leaders, his legacy is at one dimensional. But that does not erase harm," said Flor Herrera-Picasso from Casa Azul de Wilson.
At Casa Azul de Wilson, the nonprofit providing educational resources, posting Wednesday on Instagram to shine a light on Dolores Huerta for sharing her story, and saying the weight she had to carry for decades is something that struck a nerve.
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"Casa Azul was founded by Latina women and we recognize the world we live in still very much patriarchal and its been difficult to be Latina women leaders in this space and in eastern North Carolina and makes Dolores Huerta's story that much more important for us at this time because many times underwriters in social justice and not as recognized as leaders that are men," Herrera-Picasso said.
Pardo is the daughter of Mexican immigrants who now works to provide resources for farmers in eastern North Carolina, such as workplace safety and legal rights.
On Thursday, the Farmworker Institute is meeting in Sanford to mark two decades of work in the community.
"And the theme this year, how serendipitous, is raices fuertes, or strong roots," Pardo said.
Roots that stemmed from a complicated history, which the group hopes can continue to grow into a better future.
"We must tell history and its full truths and reckon with the harm and look at it honestly. And that I feel like that's the only way that we're going to really build stronger and more just communities is to hold space for the entirety of it all," Herrera-Picasso said.
In the meantime, some of the leaders from NC Field, another local farm worker organization, and other groups were set to be honored in a few weeks in Charlotte with a breakfast honoring Latino leadership named for Cesar Chavez. Those local honors will still happen, but Chavez's name has been removed.