Dolores Huerta, Labor Leader and Civil Rights Activist, Dies at 96

Dolores Huerta, the legendary labor leader and civil rights activist who co-founded with Cesar Chavez the United Farm Workers union, died Wednesday at her home in Bakersfield, California. She was 96.Erik Olvera, a spokesman for Huerta’s family, confirmed on Wednesday that the activist died of cancer. Born in Dawson, New Mexico on April 10, 1930, Huerta was the daughter of a coal miner. Throughout the 1960s and ’70s, she emerged as one of the most powerful and galvanizing labor voices of her time. In 1966, she co-founded with Chavez and Gilbert Padilla the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), a union that later merged with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee, to become the United Farm Workers. The organization is the nation’s oldest enduring union for agricultural workers. While Chavez served as the organization’s front-facing, charismatic and loudest public voice, Huerta served as the union’s vice president for nearly 40 years and was Chavez’s second-in-command until his death in 1993. Behind the scenes, Huerta organized walkouts, boycotts and other forms of labor protests. Huerta alleged in a 2026 interview with The New York Times that Chavez raped her at a secluded grape field in 1966. The Times further reported earlier this year that Chavez used his position to groom, molest and abuse girls for many years, including underaged girls as young as 12. For her part, Huerta helped lead the Delano grape strike of 1965 alongside Filipino leader Larry Itliong. While she practiced Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s non-violent protest strategies, Huerta was arrested 22 times for her participation in different labor demonstrations over the years. She was once beaten so severely by a police officer that she was left with multiple broken ribs and a ruptured spleen. She became known in part for her creation of the phrase, “Sí, se puede,” which translates to “Yes, you can.” The phrase has become a rallying cry for labor workers and representatives of various activist groups around the world. In addition to her efforts to help promote and strengthen farm workers’ rights, Huerta also founded the civic advocacy organization the Dolores Huerta Foundation in 2002. She also worked tirelessly throughout her life to help bring Latina women into the national spotlight and promote a greater role for them in the local and national political spaces. In 2018, then-California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill naming April 10, Huerta’s birthday, “Dolores Huerta Day” in California. A 2017 documentary was made about her life, titled “Dolores,” and actress Rosario Dawson portrayed her in the 2014 film, “Cesar Chavez.” Huerta is survived by 13 of her children, as well as 24 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren and seven great-great grandchildren. “We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved mother, Dolores Huerta, has passed away today,” Huerta’s family said in a statement Wednesday. “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.”