What to Know
- Farmworker and labor movement icon Dolores Huerta has died at 96, her family says.
- Huerta co-founded the Stockton, California chapter of the Community Service Organization (CSO) in 1955 and later the Agricultural Workers Association.
- She co-founded the National Farm Workers Association in 1962. The UFW formed from the movement three years later and Huerta served as vice president until 1999.
- President Obama awarded Huerta the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012 for her work advocating for the underserved.
- In 1973, Huerta led a consumer boycott of grapes resulting in the ground-breaking California Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975.
Pioneering civil rights leader Dolores Huerta, a towering figure in the farmworker and labor movement in California, has died, according to her family. She was 96.
Erik Olvera, a family spokesperson, said she died of cancer Wednesday at her home in Bakersfield surrounded by family.
“We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved mother, Dolores Huerta, has passed away today at the age of 96,” Huerta’s family said in a Facebook post announcing her death. “As you can imagine, this is an incredibly difficult time for us, and we ask for privacy as we grieve this incredible loss to our family. We know that many of you around the world share in our mourning, and we will be following up on plans to recognize and celebrate her incredible life and legacy.”
Huerta co-founded the United Farm Workers union to improve working conditions in the nation’s fruit and vegetable fields and coined the enduring “SÃ, se puede!” rallying cry. She continued her activism work well into her 90s, marching in protests and speaking across the country on issues on poverty, race, LGBTQ+ and women’s rights.
Huerta was born Dolores Clara Fernandez in 1930 in Dawson, New Mexico, to a farm worker and miner. Her parents divorced when she was 3, and her mother took her and her brothers to Stockton, California, where she worked jobs as a waitress and cannery worker until she saved enough to buy a small hotel and restaurant.
Huerta earned an associate teaching degree from the University of the Pacific’s Delta College and briefly taught school in the 1950s, but felt compelled to help organize farmers and farm workers after witnessing hungry farm children coming to school.
She co-founded the Stockton chapter of the Community Service Organization (CSO) in 1955 and later the Agricultural Workers Association.
Huerta met labor leader César Chávez through a CSO associate and the two activists founded the National Farm Workers Association in 1962. The UFW formed from the movement three years later and Huerta served as vice president until 1999.
In March, Huerta revealed that she had been sexually abused by Chávez during their time in the California labor movement of the 1960s, leading to the birth of two children, a secret she had kept for 60 years, long after he died.
From the early 1970s on, Huerta’s life partner was Richard Chavez, César’s brother, and together they had four kids. She also had seven children from two earlier marriages.
Huerta said she had kept silent for so long because she feared coming forward would compromise her life’s work and unravel all the progress made for workers.
Among her many efforts to support farmworkers during her time with the UFW, Huerta negotiated contracts and ardently advocated for safer working conditions, including the elimination of harmful pesticides. She also called for unemployment and health care benefits for agricultural workers.
In 1973, Huerta led a consumer boycott of grapes resulting in the ground-breaking California Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975.
In a statement, the UFW called her a tireless advocate for farm workers, women, immigrants, the LGBTQ+ community and all marginalized people. She served as a mentor to the next generation of UFW leaders, organizers and members, the organization said.
“Dolores coined the United Farm Workers’ historic motto: SÃ, Se Puede. Her advocacy helped bring an end to the exploitative Bracero program in the early 1960s,” said United Farm Workers President Teresa Romero. “Dolores’ work remains as important now as ever, and it continues with her example and her inspiration before us. The greatest possible tribute to her life is for her work of organizing to continue.”
President Obama awarded Huerta the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012 for her work advocating for the underserved. The medal is the nation’s highest civilian honor.
Huerta has received numerous awards for her work, including The Eleanor Roosevelt Humans Rights Award from President Bill Clinton in 1998. The Dolores Huerta Foundation, started in 2002, works on community-based organizing as well as state and national issues.
Several landmarks in Southern California, including Dolores Huerta Square in LA’s Boyle Heights area, are named in her honor.
In May, Huerta attended the dedication ceremony for her new mural in downtown Los Angeles. The mural, titled “Walking into History,” was created by Robert Vargas, an artist behind several of LA’s famous murals.
“Dolores Huerta was a guiding light in the struggle for justice, and we know that her legacy will continue to fuel the movement she dedicated her life to,” NAACP’s National President Derrick Johnson said. “When Dolores turned 21, she celebrated her birthday by registering to vote. As we honor her today and every day, let’s do our part to fight for labor rights, to fight for civil rights, and to make our voices heard at the ballot box. May she rest in peace and power.”
Local and national leaders issued statements applauding Huerta of her lifetime of service.
“A great loss to our city, to our country,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said during a morning news conference. “Somebody who has impacted each and every one of us.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom described Huerta as a passionate fighter for fairness.
“Dolores Huerta represented the best of us,” Newsom said. “California — and the United States — would not be what we are today without her resolute spirit, her passion for justice and fairness, and her commitment to those overlooked and forgotten. Dolores’ fight for gender equity, workers’ rights, and civil rights paved the way for generations to come — teaching people what was possible with determination and heart.
“Her legacy lies not just in the accomplishments she achieved, but in the people who follow in her footsteps, take up the mantle, and keep creating a better world.”
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus called Huerta an icon who showed courage and conviction.
“Dolores Huerta defied definition,” the organization said. “To call her a leader, an activist, or a trailblazer is to barely begin to capture the magnitude of her legacy. She was a national and international icon whose courage, conviction, and relentless pursuit of justice helped change the course of history. From the labor movement to the broader fight for civil rights, Dolores challenged injustice in all its forms and empowered generations to demand dignity, equality, and opportunity.
“Her legacy transcends borders, generations, and movements. She helped shape the conscience of our nation and demonstrated that the fight for justice requires both the courage to challenge the status quo and the conviction to never give up. For Latinos, her contributions are profound. For all Americans, her life stands as a testament to the power of collective action and the enduring promise of a more just and equitable society.”
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