LANSING, Mich — Alfonso Salas went through personal threats in his mission to dedicate a street in Old Town Lansing to his hero Cesar Chavez.
It's a cause he fought for. A movement he nearly paid a personal price to defend.
Now it's at the center of one of the most difficult conversations Lansing's Latino community has ever had to have.
- Alfonso Salas, owner of Atlantic Athletics, was a key figure in the movement to rename Grand River Avenue to Cesar Chavez Avenue in Lansing.
- Salas says he condemns the sexual abuse allegations against Chavez but urges the public to weigh his national legacy before deciding to rename the street.
- The City of Lansing will begin formal discussions on a possible renaming Thursday, March 26, at 4 p.m. on the 10th floor of City Hall.
WATCH: LANSING MAN WHO HELPED RENAME CHAVEZ AVENUE SPEAKS OUT AHEAD OF POSSIBLE CHANGE
Salas, who has operated Atlantic Athletics in Lansing for years, didn't hesitate when asked about his reaction to the bombshell New York Times report detailing sexual abuse allegations against the iconic labor leader, including allegations involving women and children, and fellow United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta.
"We were saddened, just like thousands of people. [Chavez] was a person that we look up to, he was one of our mentors," Salas said. "He should be judged on two levels, as an individual and also on the national level."
On the individual level, Salas didn't mince words.
WATCH: LANSING TO TAKE FIRST STEPS ON POSSIBLE RENAMING OF CESAR CHAVEZ AVENUE
"I believe that if he abused a woman and he did what they say he did, then he should be condemned" he said. "We all have daughters, we have sisters, relatives, and we don't want our family members to go through that."
City Council member Trini Lopez Pehlivanoglu announced that the Committee on City Operations will meet Thursday, March 26, at 4 p.m. for a discussion on a draft resolution to rename the avenue.
The meeting will be held on the 10th floor of City Hall in the city council conference room.
"Please note this is the first step in the process and there will be several additional opportunities for community conversations and public input," Pehlivanoglu wrote on her city council Facebook page.
WATCH: LANSING BUSINESS OWNER REACTS TO POSSIBLE NAME CHANGE OF CESAR CHAVEZ AVENUE
Changes to Chavez's legacy have been debated nationwide since the NYT report surfaced.
Lansing has already canceled The Legacy for Cesar Chavez Dinner that was scheduled for March 25. Michigan State University changed a website once named after Chavez and Huerta to "Farmworker Appreciation and Commemorative Celebration."
For Salas, the timing brings up an old wound.
PHOTO: SENIOR REPORTER DANNY VALLE STANDS WITH AL SALAS IN FRONT OF CESAR CHAVEZ STREET PETITION SIGN
Salas was one of the community leaders behind the push to rename Grand River Avenue to Cesar Chavez Avenue, facing fierce backlash at times.
Salas remembers buying a trailer as a gift for his daughter's wedding when he received a threatening phone call.
"They said, 'We know where you live, you trailer trash. Why don't you put your street sign, Cesar Chavez, in front of your trailer?'" Salas recalled. "I had to go in and remove my daughter from the trailer because I thought they were going to go and bomb it or burn it."
"I went through hell," Salas said. "That's how bad some of the things went."
Years later Salas finds himself in the middle of the debate again this time from a different angle. He said abuse cannot be excused but asks people to slow down.
"I wish that people were, before they come to judgment, to conclusion, that they'll think it over and do some research," he said.
For Salas, the name on that street has never just been about one man.
"By taking the name out, I feel like we're taking the name out not only of him, but the fight for the farm workers," he said. "They're the ones that put food on our tables. And we need to continue the cause."
Salas' connection to that cause is personal. After graduating, Salas joined a union shop at General Motors, a path he credits directly to Chavez's labor advocacy, and eventually opened his own business.
"I am where I am because of him," he said. "And this is just me. There are a lot of other people like me."
If it were up to him, the name would stay, not to honor the man, but the movement.
Salas suggested if a change does happen that the street be named after someone who made a tangible difference in Lansing's Latino community, like Tony Benavides, the city's first Latino mayor.
But Salas is clear that the decision ultimately belongs to the people.
"It's up to the community. It's up to the people to decide what they're going to do," Salas said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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