Community members urged Fresno Unified’s board at Wednesday’s meeting to remove a mural of Cesar Chavez from Edison High School.
A resolution to assess all mentions and likenesses of the disgraced union leader and allow community feedback on what to do with any artworks of Chavez passed in the same meeting.
However, community members noted that other tributes in Fresno were removed swiftly after allegations of sexual assault against Chavez came to light.
“Nevertheless, after three weeks of hearing the breaking news about Chavez and his sexual abuse, the mural remains on the high school wall,” said Debbie Darden, president of the Fresno chapter for the Black American Political Association of California.
“Our question is: Why? There has been no urgency to remove the mural; why not?” Darden added.
Robert Mitchell, who serves as vice president of the Golden Westside Planning Committee, told the board they don’t need to wait for community input to do what’s right.
“Don’t kick the bucket down the street and say ‘Well the community is going to give us the way to go,’” Mitchell said. “You know the way to go. Stand up, do the right thing.”
The Rev. B.T. Lewis echoed the same sentiments, acknowledging the board’s resolution, but also calling for the mural to be removed as quickly as possible.
Lewis previously challenged the city of Fresno’s renaming of streets in honor of Chavez in a lawsuit.
“Given the recent egregious allegations levied against the legacy of one of our most influential civil rights leaders, I believe it is in the best interest of our district and our community to remove the image of Cesar Chavez as soon as possible,” Lewis said.
The resolution to assess mentions and works of Chavez in the district includes a process for community feedback on whether any works should be preserved, replaced, restored or removed.
The same process outlined in the resolution will also be used for any future situations concerning an individual’s likeness featured on district facilities.
Additionally, the resolution states that the district would engage with the original artists of any works being considered for alteration.
The Edison High mural of Chavez was completed in 2022 after students and staff voted on designs by local artist Jason Esquivel.
District budget talks on hold until governor’s revise
At Wednesday’s meeting, a presentation showing the district’s investments and costs in achieving its “goals and guardrails” objectives wrapped up budget discussions at least until May.
“After this presentation concludes, we’ll be taking a brief break from the budgetary process until we get the governor’s May revision, and then we’ll be coming back to talk about the budget again as a whole,” said Patrick Jensen, the district’s chief financial officer.
Trustee Susan Wittrup questioned the inclusion of optional investments totaling around $100K for staff and retirement celebrations. She noted that the district should be looking to save money, especially as it gears up for potential staff cuts.
“I think we need to be a little bit more accountable about our budget and the money that we’re spending,” Wittrup said, adding, “when we say we’re spending $100,000, that’s $100,000 we can’t spend somewhere else.”
Veva Islas, the board’s president, agreed with Wittrup’s concerns.
“I really want to assure the public that we’re all interested in that; as much as possible, if we can save positions, we want to fight for that,” Islas said.
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