This major Fort Worth street to be honorarily named for César Chávez, Dolores Huerta
The city will name a major north Fort Worth thoroughfare for iconic civil rights leaders César Chávez and Dolores Huerta — an honor advocates have pushed for nearly a decade.
Portions of 28th Street/Ephriham Avenue will be honorarily renamed after the activists starting at Jacksboro Highway to North Main Street as Dolores Huerta Avenue. From North Main Street to Beach Street, NW 28th Street will be named César Chávez Avenue. The city council approved the measure unanimously Tuesday night to a round of applause from the audience.
It’s a monumental moment, said Alberto Govea, who has worked for more than seven years to convince city leaders to honor Chávez through a street name.
“This is the celebration of an icon and an American hero,” said Govea, who is president of the League of United Latin American Citizens chapter 4568 and publisher of Nuestra Voz.
Fort Worth’s designation is honorary, meaning the street’s official name does not change. Instead, the city will install signs above NE and NW 28th Street marking the honorary avenue. Other cities including Austin and Dallas have renamed streets permanently for Chávez.
Mindia Whittier was critical of the honorary designation, saying the city was settling for a second-tier option and should pick a street to formally rename.
“I think you should have aimed for the best by voting for full inclusion,” she said.
Huerta and Chávez co-founded National Farm Workers Association, later renamed the United Farm Workers. Like Martin Luther King Jr., they preached non-violent activism. Though probably best known for their work in labor reform, they also advocated for immigrants and women’s rights and worked throughout the American Southwest. Chávez died in 1993. Huerta is 89.
“They are a great example of how civil rights are tied to all communities,” said Alejandro Hukill Arias, president of the César Chávez Committee of Tarrant County.
The César Chávez Committee holds an annual march in honor of Chávez and provides educational presentations at local schools.
The effort to rename a street after Chávez or Huerta met many hurdles, Govea said. Over the past decade advocates made several attempts to rename major roads, including part of Interstate 35W and North Side Drive. Each time, the effort hit a roadblock, he said, including requirements for petitions, neighborhood meetings and approval from businesses.
Two Fort Worth Democrats, former Rep. Lon Burnam and former Sen. Wendy Davis, backed legislation in 2013 to rename a stretch of Interstate 35W through Fort Worth in honor of Chávez, but the bill didn’t pass.
Govea previously voiced frustration with the seeming unwillingness to honor Chávez or Huerta, saying he felt like there was a lack of interest in celebrating Hispanic and Latino culture. The renaming should have been a “slam dunk” since most major cities in the Southwest have a street named for Chávez. Fort Worth was the largest city in Texas without a street named for Chávez.
“Supposedly we celebrate diversity in Fort Worth, but not enough to celebrate our community it seems,” he had said.
Because 28th Street is also Texas 183, the Texas Department of Transportation would have to sign off on an official designation as a memorial highway, TxDot spokesman Val Lopez said. Legislative action is not necessary, he said. The city will request TxDot make that designation.
The city chose 28th Street instead of another major avenue because of its prominence in heavily Hispanic north Fort Worth, Councilman Carlos Flores said. The street is also a major intersection with I-35W, which will receive a César Chávez Avenue exit sign.
“I am personally very excited we got to this point because the needle has not moved very far in the past,” Flores said. “I think it’s very appropriate to choose 28th Street because it goes right into the heart of our Hispanic community.”
This story was originally published January 14, 2020 at 8:31 PM.
