Labor activist and co-founder of the United Farm Workers Dolores Huerta died at her home on Wednesday. She was 96 years old.
Huerta at one of her last public events earlier this year at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. Photo by Vita Hewitt.
One of the country’s most recognizable and tireless activists, Huerta was also a mother of 11 children from three relationships. She remained committed to her activism well into her 90s, only stopping earlier this year.
Her rallying cry was, ‘Sí, se puede!’ became a powerful symbol of her efforts to improve working conditions for farmworkers across the nation. Huerta was arrested more than 25 times for taking part in nonviolent protests. Her role in the five year Delano grape boycott led to farmworkers receiving higher wages and health and safety protections.
When President Obama awarded Huerta the Presidential Medal of Freedom, she joked that he had borrowed her phrase and made it ‘Yes We Can’ during his campaign for president. Obama agreed that he had.
Throughout her life, Huerta continued to advocate for marginalized voices through her foundation, based in Bakersfield, California. She marched for those living in poverty, racial injustice, women’s and LGBTQ+ rights. She never wavered in her steadfast belief that people working together could effect change and remained a key leader and negotiator for the UFW for years.
As a woman working in a primarily male-dominated field, Huerta often came up against sexism. Earlier in 2026, she came forward to accuse United Farm Workers co-founder Cesar Chavez of sexually assaulting her, resulting in the birth of two children. She made the choice to remain silent on the matter because she did not want to derail her work or the movement that had brought such positive change to so many laborers.
Huerta was severely injured after being struck by a police officer’s baton in 1988 while protesting presidential candidate George H W Bush’s opposition to the grape boycott. Her response was to campaign aggressively for women’s rights and encourage Latinas to run for office.
Unafraid of taking on the hardest subjects, Huerta had a way of finding routes around roadblocks and getting to the heart of the matter.
Huerta speaks at the 2024 Bioneers Conference in Berkeley. Photo by Vita Hewitt.
At the 2024 Bioneers conference in Berkeley, Huerta spoke of her belief that education was a way to counter racism in the US. She wanted the teaching of US history to include those who fought for what are now considered basic human rights.
“There’s a lot lacking in our educational system,” she said. “There was a riot in Chicago because labor unions were organising for the eight hour day. And yes, we now have the eight hour day. But what happened to the leaders that fought for the eight hour day? They were executed. They were hung. Do we know their names?” Huerta asked.
Dolores Huerta’s hands. Photo by Vita Hewitt.
An iconic feminist, Huerta was the first Latina to be inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. Dolores Huerta’s name is often included in grade school and middle school curricula for US history. Her work within the labor movement continues to shape the lives of the workers she defended.
