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Arch of Dignity, Equality, and Justice

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Arch of Dignity, Equality, and Justice
Map
ArtistJudy Baca
Year2008
MediumMosaic
MovementChicana art
SubjectCésar Chávez, Dolores Huerta, Mahatma Gandhi, Robert Kennedy, two unnamed farmworkers
Dimensions760 cm (25 ft)
Location
OwnerSan Jose State University

The Arch of Dignity, Equality, and Justice, commonly referred to as the César Chávez Arch, is an art installation and monument consisting of a pearlescent plaster arch in the style of a Mayan corbelled arch and includes five Venetian tile mosaics.[1][2] It was created by American artist Judy Baca, and is installed along the Paseo de César Chávez on the San Jose State University campus, in San Jose, California, United States.[3] The four front-facing mosaics feature portraits of Dolores Huerta, Mahatma Gandhi, and two unnamed farmworkers, while the mosaic on the underside of the arch features Cesar Chavez encountering Robert Kennedy.[4]

The top of the arch is adorned with a stacked glass eagle in the style of the United Farm Workers well-known logo.[5] Richard Chavez, César Chávez's brother, originally designed the black Aztec eagle insignia that became the symbol of the National Farm Workers Association and the UFW.[6]

In 2022, San Jose State students and faculty embedded the Arch of Dignity, Equality, and Justice into their Public Art as Resistance project.[1][7][8]

Response to 2026 sexual abuse allegations

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In March 2026, The New York Times published an investigation alleging that Chávez had sexually abused women and girls over the course of decades, including UFW co-founder Dolores Huerta, who is also depicted on the arch.[9] SJSU president Cynthia Teniente-Matson announced that the university would initiate a campuswide engagement process, including dialogues and a teach-in, to determine appropriate next steps for the arch, the adjacent Paseo de César Chávez, and other campus spaces bearing Chávez's name or likeness.[9] Teniente-Matson stated that the university's Art Collection Committee would be consulted, calling the situation "a painful reckoning, but...a necessary one."[10]

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 "Arch of Dignity | Public Art as Resistance in San Jose". www.sjsu.edu. Archived from the original on 2024-01-10. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  2. ↑ "Visit San Jose - Cesar Chavez Memorial Walkway". Archived from the original on 2024-02-24. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  3. ↑ "SJ Today - A tour of Cesar Chavez's legacy throughout San Jose". 30 March 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-05-28. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  4. ↑ admin (2010-03-25). "The Cesar Chavez Monument". Judy Baca. Archived from the original on 2024-01-10. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  5. ↑ "Arch of Dignity, Equality and Justice (2005-2008)". Judy Baca. Archived from the original on 2024-01-10. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  6. ↑ Quinones, Sam (2011-07-28). "Richard Chavez dies at 81; brother of Cesar Chavez (He helped Cesar Chavez build the United Farm Workers into a political and agricultural force. He organized the California grape boycott in the late 1960s.)". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2011-08-07. Retrieved 2011-07-30.
  7. ↑ "Public Art as Resistance in San José: A Walking Tour". humanitiesforall.org. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  8. ↑ "Public Art as Resistance Walking Tours | San José Museum of Art". sjmusart.org. 2022-06-05. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  9. 1 2 Teniente-Matson, Cynthia (March 2026). "My Thoughts on the César Chávez Reports, and Our Path Forward as a University Community". San Jose State University. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  10. ↑ Bellows, Kate Hidalgo (March 19, 2026). "'A Painful Reckoning': After Bombshell Report, Higher Ed Scrambles to Review Cesar Chavez Tributes". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
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