By Sara Atencio-Gonzales, The Paper – At the Albuquerque Rail Yards on a bright, bustling Saturday morning, music, food trucks and resource tables filled the space as community members gathered for “Voces de la Comunidad / Community Voices,” the first event hosted by the newly renamed New Mexico ¡Sí Se Puede! Committee.
The event, held April 25, celebrated more than culture and community. It marked a turning point for the organization formerly known as the Recuerda a Cesar Chavez Committee, which recently rebranded to reflect a broader mission rooted in advocacy, equity and collective action.
“We not only renamed it, we rebranded it, and we changed the mission of it,” says Linda Garcia Benavides, committee chair.
The event brought together families, organizers and local groups offering services and information, alongside performances from local artists. Organizers said the goal was to create space for community voices that are often overlooked.
Benavides explains that the shift came after long discussions about how to move forward while staying true to the movement’s roots.
“The movement is more than an individual or a couple individuals, and you cannot change the context of history,” says Benavides.
For decades, the committee focused on celebrating the legacies of Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, two figures central to the farmworker movement and the founding of the United Farm Workers labor union in the late 1960s.
In recent months, that legacy has faced renewed scrutiny following allegations of sexual abuse against Chavez, including a public statement from Huerta in March in which she said, “I can no longer stay silent,” and shared her own experiences. Huerta’s statement came in response to a New York Times investigation and has contributed to broader public debate and reevaluation across New Mexico.
Now, organizers of ¡Sí Se Puede! say they are expanding their focus to include a wider range of issues, from immigration and women’s rights to broader justice and community advocacy. “We want to hear the voices of the community and work on that to make it a little bit different from what we did,” says Benavides.
That shift comes as communities across New Mexico reconsider how they commemorate Cesar Chavez. In Albuquerque, city leaders have begun a formal process to potentially rename Avenida César Chávez, holding multiple meetings to gather public input and ensure community perspectives are reflected, according to reporting by KRQE and a City of Albuquerque press release. At the same time, International District officials and residents are working to rename a former Cesar Chavez Community Center.
Beyond Albuquerque, the Santa Fe School Board voted unanimously to remove Chavez’s name from an elementary school, beginning a broader community-led process to select a new identity, according to reporting by KOAT.
The committee’s decision to rebrand comes amid that broader reevaluation. Rather than removing history, Benavides explains that the goal is to build on it while creating space for a wider range of voices and issues shaping communities today. The committee wanted to move beyond a focus on one person’s legacy alone and instead reflect ongoing work around justice, advocacy and community needs.
“You cannot change the context of history,” says Benavides. “You just need to work around it and find positive things to do for it.”
Saturday’s event reflected that approach. Children participated in activities, families connected with local organizations, and attendees joined in cultural performances and a community-centered atmosphere that organizers hope will grow in the years ahead.
Benavides emphasized that the success of the first “Voces de la Comunidad” showed the importance of community participation.
“If the communities didn’t come around, the event wouldn’t be anything,” says Benavides, adding that the group hopes to expand future events.
As the New Mexico ¡Sí Se Puede! Committee looks ahead, organizers say the focus will remain on inclusion and action. “We want the community to be involved with us. We want them to be part of this committee,” says Benavides.
For many who attended, the message was clear. The name may have changed, but the work continues, now with a broader vision of who that work serves.