Dolores Huerta, UFW Co-Founder, Dies at 96
The civil rights leader and labor organizer passed away in California, where she helped secure better pay and working conditions for agricultural workers.
By Nina Patel ·
Dolores Huerta, the labor organizer who co-founded the United Farm Workers union, has died in California at age 96. Her family confirmed the news on Wednesday, marking the end of a six-decade career in union activism and electoral politics.
In a social media post, her children stated, "We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved mother, Dolores Huerta, has passed away today at the age of 96." The family requested privacy while they grieve and said they would share plans to celebrate her legacy at a later date.
Huerta built the UFW alongside Cesar Chavez through a series of strikes and boycotts in the 1960s and 1970s. These efforts improved wages and working conditions for thousands of farm workers across the country. She is also credited with coining the phrase "Sí, se puede!" which later became the slogan for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign.
Her political work extended beyond the farm fields. Born in New Mexico in 1930, she followed her father into union activism and later contributed to several Democratic presidential campaigns. She helped Robert F. Kennedy secure the party nomination in 1968 and assisted in the elections of Barack Obama and Joe Biden. The UFW described her as Chavez's right hand, though the two were known for heated arguments that she viewed as a healthy part of their collaboration.
The public narrative surrounding her partnership with Chavez shifted in March, one month before her 96th birthday. In interviews with The New York Times, Huerta stated that Chavez raped her in a car in a California grape field during the winter of 1966. She said she did not report the assault because authorities were hostile toward the union and she feared colleagues would not believe her.
After Chavez died in 1993, Huerta entered a long-term domestic partnership with his brother, Richard. The couple had four children together, and Richard died in 2011. The UFW noted that she was a fierce advocate for women's rights, describing her impact on young women as profound.
Her legacy is visible in public education, with four elementary schools in California, one in Fort Worth, Texas, and a high school in Pueblo, Colorado, named in her honor. In 2012, President Obama presented her with the Presidential Medal of Honor, the highest civilian award in the United States.
Source: The Guardian
