From left: United Farm Workers’ officers Julio Hernandez, Larry Itliong and Ceasar Chavez walk in the Huelga Day March in San Francisco in 1966. Chavez receives much of the credit for forming the UFW, while Itliong’s critical role is often forgotten.

Revelations about the sexual assault and abuse allegations against Cesar Chavez brought the history of the farmworker labor movement back into the news last week. 

The accusations were stunning and, as a result, Chavez’s legacy is rightfully being reevaluated. Some stories also examined how Dolores Huerta and others were essential to the labor movement but were overshadowed by Chavez’s iconic status.

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Missing from much of this discussion was the role Larry Itliong and Filipino American farmworkers played in the labor movement of the 1960s.

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The Delano grape strike of 1965 is considered a pivotal moment for farmworker rights. It helped put Chavez on the national stage and led to the formation of the United Farm Workers union.

Boiling down the story of the UFW “as if it was a singular act by a singular person” or “just the two of them, Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, really........

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