LCC responds to allegations against Chavez by changing name of multicultural center
The Office of Empowerment on May 28 before the outside was changed. Photo by Emmett Roman.
By Emmett Roman
Staff Reporter
When in the Arts and Sciences Building, students may have noticed some changes to the front of the Office of Empowerment. On July 1, the first day of the fiscal year, the name Cesar Chavez was removed.
In the June Board of Trustees meeting, LCC President Dr. Robinson announced that, while the Office of Empowerment (OE) will still name the cultural figures of Martin Luther King Jr. and Maya Angelou, Cesar Chavez will no longer be attached to the name of the multicultural center or any work underneath the office. The functional areas of OE will still continue as before, focusing on celebrating advocacy and equity, multicultural engagement and training and culture.
This change is in response to the New York Times article published in May of this year, which reported that many women allege that Chavez sexually abused them, some while they were children. The Lookout reported on how LCC should respond and the next possible steps after this information came out.
According to Robinson, LCC took its time before addressing the name change because they wanted to discuss everything through with their stakeholders, such as LUCERO participants, the OE’s senior advisory team, the Hispanic Heritage Awareness Committee and LCC students. “This process began by hearing the voices of internal and external stakeholders,” Robinson explained, “and then looking within for the most culturally responsive action.”
Interim Chief Diversity Officer Tanya McClain did not respond with comment in time for the publication of this article.
Even though Lansing Community College is moving away from the use of Cesar Chavez, they are continuing to honor the United Farm Workers Movement and the significant contributions of Hispanic culture here on campus. LUCERO will also not be impacted by this name change and will proceed as usual.
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