What they say: “We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved mother, Dolores Huerta, passed away today at the age of 96,” her family wrote in a statement posted on Instagram.
- “As you can imagine, this is an incredibly difficult time for us, and we ask for privacy as we grieve this incredible loss for our family. We know that many of you around the world share our grief, and we will follow plans to recognize and celebrate his incredible life and legacy.”
- The cause of his death was cancer, according to the New York Times.
Zoom: Huerta worked alongside farmworker leader César Chávez, organizing workers who were routinely subjected to poor working conditions on farms.
- The couple founded the UFW with fellow activist Gilbert Padilla.
- Huerta also stood with Senator Robert F. Kennedy moments before he was fatally shot after his victory in the 1968 California primary, after working to get Mexican-American voters to support him.
- She would become friends with the widows of RFK and Martin Luther King Jr., Ethel Kennedy and Coretta Scott King, as they fought together for civil rights.
Catch up quickly: Chávez, who died in 1993, allegedly sexually abused several women and girls while he was head of the UFW, which only came to light this year following a New York Times investigation.
- Huerta said she was raped by Chávez decades ago, becoming the most high-profile figure to accuse him of misconduct.
- “I kept this secret as long as I did because building the movement and securing farmworker rights was my life’s work,” Huerta wrote in a blog post.
- “I never identified as a victim, but I understand now that I am a survivor – of violence, of sexual abuse, of controlling men who viewed me and other women as property or things to be controlled.”
- Huerta said she became pregnant after the two meetings with Chávez and arranged for the children to be raised by other families, keeping their births a secret.
Flashback: Born in the mining town of Dawson, New Mexico, about 140 miles northeast of Santa Fe, Dolores grew up surrounded by labor activism before moving to Stockton, California, as a child.
- She and Chávez founded the National Farm Workers Association in 1962, which later became the United Farm Workers.
- A 2018 PBS documentary, “Dolores,” showed how Huerta went from a married woman living in a middle-class home to a labor activist who gave up a comfortable life to join the fight for equality.
- Decades later, she spoke about the sexism she faced in the farmworker union movement, although she became a Chicana feminist icon on T-shirts, murals and songs.
Zoom out: In her later years, Huerta was sought after by Democrats running at every level, from president to mayor of Albuquerque.
- She continued to speak and attend rallies well into her 90s.
Fun fact: In 2012, President Obama finally recognized Huerta for his role in creating his “Yes, We Can” slogan during his first presidential campaign.
- “Dolores was very gracious when I told her I stole her slogan,” said Obama, who later presented her with the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
- “Knowing her, I’m glad she left me alone because Dolores isn’t playing.”
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