The City of Denver will remove the name of César Chávez from the city holiday and city monuments that bear his name, one day after allegations of sexual misconduct by fellow civil rights activist Dolores Huerta and others surfaced, Mayor Mike Johnston announced Thursday.

The city has already canceled its annual march, which was set for April.

“We will remove César Chávez’s name from the holiday, we will remove it from the park, we will remove the bust and the plaque in his honor,” Johnston said, adding that the city will begin a community process to discuss renaming them.

This March 31, when the city would traditionally celebrate the noted labor movement activist, Denver will celebrate “Si, Se Puede,” or “Yes, We Can,” to honor the broader efforts of the labor movement.

The holiday name change is “just this year,” Denver City Council President Amanda Sanoval said. “We wanted to make sure there was a celebration this year that celebrated the movement that it was dedicated to, and that seemed like the right idea to capture that movement.”

The community will decide at a later date what the city holiday will be called and how other associated assets will be handled.

A name change for the city holiday and the park will require a legislative process.

“We will not let the sins of one man set back the commitment of a community that has fought for decades to deliver on the fundamental belief that everyone is entitled to justice,” Johnston said.

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democratic candidate for governor, released a statement Thursday calling the alleged abuse and sexual assault against women and girls “horrific.”

“My thoughts are with those who were harmed by him, and I applaud their bravery in coming forward,” Bennet said.

Sandoval added that in César Chávez Park, located at West 41st Avenue and North Tennyson Street, signs and a memorial bust were covered last night to prevent vandalism and will be removed today.

“For many of us, this is not just news,” Sandoval said. “This touches our history, our identity and the stories we were raised on.”

“But removal of (Chávez’s name) is not the end of the conversation; it’s actually just the beginning,” the councilwoman added. “We will take the time to come together as a community and determine what that space should represent moving forward, because the labor movement, the farm worker movement, that history, is bigger than any one person.”

As for the federal building named in Chávez’s honor, Johnston said the city has not reached out to federal officials to discuss renaming it.

Huerta, who helped co-found the National Farm Workers Association in 1962 and its successor, the United Farm Workers Association, with Chávez in 1966, said in a statement Wednesday that she was a victim of sexual misconduct by Chávez.

In a statement, the union said allegations of “abuse of young women or minors” were concerning enough to urge people around the country to participate in “immigration justice” events or acts of service, instead of the typical events in March to commemorate Chavez’s legacy.

The union said it has not received any direct reports of abuse and does not have any firsthand knowledge of the allegations. Neither the union nor the César Chávez Foundation responded to requests from The Associated Press for further comment.

“Some of the reports are family issues, and not our story to tell or our place to comment on,” the union said in its statement.

Several César Chávez celebrations in San Francisco, Texas, and Chávez’s home state of Arizona were canceled at the request of the foundation, which also said it has become aware of disturbing allegations about Chávez during his time as president of the union. Organizers of canceled events did not immediately respond to the AP’s requests for comment.

Chávez’s family posted a statement on the National Chávez Foundation Facebook page on March 18 after learning about the allegation in a New York Times article.

“Our family is devastated by today’s New York Times article about our father César Chávez,” the statement said. “This is deeply painful for our family. We wish peace and healing to the survivors and commend their courage to come forward. As a family steeped in the values of equity and justice, we honor the voices of those who feel unheard and who report sexual abuse.

“We carry our own memories of the person we knew. Someone whose life included work and contributions that matter deeply to many people. We remain committed to farmworkers and the causes he and countless others championed and continue to champion.

“We ask for understanding and privacy as we continue to process this difficult information.”

The Associated Press and the Denver Gazette’s news partner 9News contributed to this story.