"The  sexual abuse of girls and women must stop.

Today, we are confronted with yet another painful reminder of how pervasive this crisis is. Dolores Huerta, a civil rights and labor leader, a woman who dedicated her life to fighting for the most vulnerable among us, broke years of silence to report sexual abuse by a man who led a movement she believed in. And sadly she is not alone. At least two other women have come forward with allegations of sexual abuse. 

Dolores Huerta did not share her story earlier because she feared no one would believe her. She was afraid her truth would hurt the farmworker movement. She did what so many survivors of abuse are forced to do. She carried the weight of someone else's violence in silence, alone, for six decades.

We cannot accept a world in which women and girls remain silent.

As educators, we have a responsibility that goes beyond academics. We must ensure that every student in our schools, especially every girl, knows that her body is her own, that inappropriate sexual behavior is never her fault and that she will be believed and supported if she speaks up. We must teach young people to recognize the signs of grooming and abuse, and we must build a world where survivors feel safe to come forward not in 60 years, but now.

This is not a women’s issue. This is societal issue. We need men as allies. 

When we look away, we become complicit. When we protect a man's reputation or legacy at the expense of the girls and women he harmed, we become part of the problem. It does not matter how great a person's contributions are, no legacy justifies silence in the face of abuse."

Debra Duardo, MSW, Ed.D.
Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools