A Hispanic group pushed to get an image of César Chávez covered up on a mural in Fairhill following a New York Times report that accused the civil rights leader of years of sexual abuse. On Saturday, a depiction of Dolores Huerta, one of Chávez’s collaborators, will be painted over the political activist.
Michelle Angela Ortiz is tasked with handling the project. She was a close friend to the original muralist, Jose Ali Paz, who died in 2008, and said creating the design was an emotional undertaking, but focusing on honoring the late artist and Huerta’s activism left her with a “sense of peace.”
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Titled “Latinoamérica: Una Lengua, Múltiples Culturas,” which translates to “Latin America: One Language, Multiple Cultures,” the mural on the side of 2863 N. 5th St. was created by Paz and Henry Bermudez in 2005 to represent Hispanic cultures in the city. As it stands now, the artwork shows images of Venezuelan political leader Simón Bolívar, Chilean poets Pablo Neruda and Gabriela Mistral, and Chávez in front of dancers and a tropical background.
Chávez spearheaded a massive labor movement for farm workers in the 1960s. He and Huerta organized the National Farm Workers Association, which lobbied for better wages, a credit union and unemployment and life insurance for its laborers. Chávez participated in dozens of high-profile peaceful protests and hunger strikes that cemented his legacy as an icon of civil rights.
Last month, the New York Times published an investigation that uncovered a pattern of abuse and sexual violence by Chávez, whose victims allegedly included Huerta and multiple children. Following the report, members of the Hispanic Association of Contractor Enterprises, a commercial development corridor, requested that Mural Arts Philadelphia remove Chávez’s likeness from the wall in Fairhill.
Provided Image/Mural Arts Philadelphia
A mural titled ‘Latinoamérica: Una Lengua, Múltiples Culturas’ in Fairhill was painted in 2005 to represent Hispanic groups in the city.
“Public art lives in relationship with the people around it, both in the moment it is created and over time,” Mural Arts wrote in a statement on social media last month. “What is painted on a wall does not stay fixed in meaning. In light of these allegations, the depiction of Cesar Chavez in this mural must be reconsidered in conversation with the artist and community members.”
When Ortiz saw Mural Arts’ statement, she reached out to Executive Director Jane Golden to recommend that she cover up his portrait with a painting of Huerta.
“Erasing the image of César and not having any type of replacement is not fair to the people and to the movement,” Ortiz said. “What I’m trying to think about is how to have a nuanced conversation around holding our leaders accountable, but still preserving the hard work and dedication of the people that believed in them.”
For Ortiz, the biggest challenge was figuring out how to move forward with the project in a way that honors the original artist and his family.
“We’re not erasing the movement, we’re reinforcing it,” she said. “We’re also preserving the artwork of my dear friend, who exemplifies the very movement that Huerta fought for. … Jose is part of that story.”
Provided Image/Paz Family
Jose Ali Paz, above, was the original artist for the mural in Fairhill.
Ortiz, a South Philly native, met Paz in 2002 just two years after he and his family immigrated from Venezuela, where he worked in a produce processing factory. The two artists worked closely together throughout the 2000s, and Ortiz recalls translating for him during meetings with Mural Arts Philadelphia.
“He was a person full of such light and kindness, but also extremely dedicated, organized and committed to his craft,” she said. “What I really admired about him was not just his amazing skill that he had as an artist, but the way he respected me as an equal.”
As a way to uphold his legacy, she enlisted the help of Paz’s oldest daughter, Viviana Takfoor, 45, and granddaughter, Annalise, 16, to come up with the mural’s new look and assist with measurements and painting at her studio in South Philly.
“As we were working, it took me back to years ago when I used to sit down and saw my dad transform something into a painting,” Viviana Takfoor said. “Being able to share and exchange that missing part of him … it almost felt like we were all together there with him.”
Provided Image/Michelle Angela Ortiz
Annalise Takfoor, left, paints with her mother Viviana Takfoor, who is the oldest daughter of the late muralist Jose Ali Paz. They are assisting in the cover-up project.
Ortiz said watching Paz’s family come together to continue his work was a cathartic experience.
“When you lose a friend that has so much life in them, you feel that life can be very unfair,” she said. “But, I keep in touch with his family, I have seen his children grow, his grandchildren play with my son. … Watching [Annalise], who draws very well and loves the arts. … It just gives me a sense of peace.”
