City Approves Dropping Cesar Chavez Street Name

Cesar E. Chavez Drive sign. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

Following allegations of rape and sexual abuse against its namesake, the Milwaukee Common Council on Tuesday approved renaming S. Cesar E. Chavez Drive to S. 16th Street.

But a key council member abstained from voting, a sign of the bigger question that remains: What name should come next for the key corridor through Milwaukee’s overwhelmingly Latino southside neighborhood?

Dropping the name is the latest and largest move as the city of Milwaukee works to move on from the disgraced labor and civil rights leader Cesar Chavez. A bombshell report, published in March by The New York Times, has triggered a national reckoning with Chavez’s legacy.

Alderperson JoCasta Zamarripa was the first person to call for change, issuing a press release shortly after the report was published and co-sponsoring the renaming, but on Tuesday, she was the only council member who did not vote for the name change.

She didn’t discuss her reason during the full council meeting, but her April 9 comments to the Public Works Committee laid out her thinking.

Zamarripa said she was concerned about removing a key identifier of the majority Latino community without a replacement immediately forthcoming.

“Like some folks, I have some trepidation about removing what was advocated for so hard,” she said to the committee. The Chavez name was added in 1996 to the stretch between W. Pierce and W. Mitchell streets. As of 2021, there was even a discussion about extending it farther south. “Changing it back to 16th Street, I know, gives a lot of folks some heartburn.”

Common Council President José G. Pérez, during the Public Works Committee meeting, said the city’s Citizen Advisory Committee on the Naming of Public Buildings, Facilities and Streets would make a recommendation on a new name.

“There was a consensus around turning the name back to S. 16th Street,” said Pérez, who represents the area, of his discussions with stakeholders.

The renaming required 12 of 15 council members to vote for it. Despite there being no votes cast against it, it narrowly passed. Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic was absent, and Zamarripa’s abstention left the measure with only 13 votes.

Mayor Cavalier Johnson must still review the renaming. A spokesperson said he supports the renaming but will review the file when it arrives from the council.

Chavez died in 1993.

At least one area politician already has suggested a new individual for whom to name the street. County Supervisor Juan Miguel Martinez, in a Facebook post after The New York Times’ report was released, suggested the street be renamed for Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the National Farm Workers Association with Chavez. Huerta, 95, is one of the women who came forward with allegations against him. She is already honored with a mural along the street.

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