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Dolores Huerta, Labor Leader and Civil Rights Icon, Dies at 96
· Confirmed
In Short: Dolores Huerta, a pioneering labor leader and civil rights activist, died Wednesday at the age of 96, her family announced.
Dolores Huerta, a pioneering labor leader and civil rights activist, died Wednesday at the age of 96, her family announced. Huerta was born in New Mexico and raised by a single mother in California's San Joaquin Valley, where she worked as a school teacher and helped found a local chapter of a grassroots organization that fought segregation and police brutality.
Huerta co-founded the United Farm Workers union with Cesar Chavez to improve working conditions in the nation's fruit and vegetable fields. She is known for her three-word Spanish-language slogan, 'Sí, se puede!' which translates to 'Yes, it can be done.' This slogan was grounded in the belief that people could affect change and was later adopted by Barack Obama for his 2008 presidential campaign.
In 2012, then-President Obama presented Huerta with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, praising her as a tenacious leader. Huerta's resolve cemented her place in history as one of the nation's most influential labor leaders, civil rights icons, and feminist activists.
From the early 1970s on, Huerta's life partner was Richard Chavez, César's brother, and together they had four children. Huerta revealed in 2026 that she was sexually abused by Chavez in the 1960s, leading to the birth of two children, a secret she kept for 60 years.
Huerta's family said in a statement through her foundation that she died Wednesday at home in Bakersfield, California, surrounded by family. Erik Olvera, a family spokesperson, confirmed her death.
Huerta's life's work was to empower her community to face and overcome injustices, and she has left farm workers and the entire Latino community stronger and more organized than she found it, said United Farm Workers President Teresa Romero in a statement.
When asked during a 2026 interview with the news organization Latino USA about keeping the secret, Huerta said: 'It was my personal pain, it was my personal problem and, you know, I think it was worth it because it was my cross to bear. I’ll say it that way.'
Huerta kept a busy schedule well into her 90s, marching in protests and speaking in cities across the country about race, poverty, LGBTQ+ and women's rights on behalf of her Bakersfield, California-based foundation.
What this adds
Huerta's revelation about her sexual abuse by Chavez adds a layer of complexity to her legacy, highlighting the personal sacrifices she made for her cause.
Background
Huerta's resolve and dedication cemented her place in history as one of the nation's most influential labor leaders, civil rights icons, and feminist activists.
What's confirmed
- Huerta was born in New Mexico and raised by a single mother in California's San Joaquin Valley, where she worked as a school teacher and then helped found a local chapter of a grassroots organization that fought segregation and police brutality.
- When then-President Barack Obama presented the award in 2012, he praised Huerta as a tenacious leader and joked that he had stolen her slogan for his 2008 campaign.
- Huerta's resolve cemented her place in history as one of the nation's most influential labor leaders, civil rights icons and feminist activists.
- Her three-word Spanish-language slogan — which translates to "Yes, it can be done" — was grounded in the belief that people could affect change.
- Huerta said she stayed silent for so long because she feared that coming forward would compromise her life's work and unravel all the progress made for workers.
- From the early 1970s on, Huerta's life partner was Richard Chavez, César's brother, and together they had four kids.
- In the wake of the revelation, she urged people to stand firm in fighting for their rights.
- Earlier this year, Huerta revealed that she was sexually abused in the 1960s by Chavez.
- Dolores Huerta, labor activist and civil rights icon, has died at the age of 96, her family announced Wednesday morning.
- Huerta’s died of cancer Wednesday at her home in Bakersfield, California, surrounded by family, said Erik Olvera, a family spokesperson.
- “It seems like history continues to repeat itself,” she told The Associated Press.
- Influential US labour union co-founder, feminist, and civil rights icon Dolores Huerta died on Wednesday in Bakersfield, California, her family said.
What's still developing
- FILE - Dolores Huerta, far right, thanks senators after the unanimous vote to designate April 10 as "Dolores Huerta Day," March 18, 2019, in Olympia, Wash.
- Huerta told the Times she didn’t report the attack – or a previous incident in 1960 where she said Chavez pressured her into having sex with him during a work trip – because of police attitudes toward their movement, and because she feared no one in their union would believe her.
Sources
- ABC7 Los Angeleslink
- Broomfieldenterpriselink
- CBS Newslink
- Chicoerlink
- France 24link
- Greeleytribunelink
- Know Your Rights Camplink
- Kokomo Tribunelink
- NPRlink
- Ottumwa Courierlink
- Sun-Sentinellink
- The Killeen Daily Heraldlink
- The San Francisco Standardlink
- Thereporteronlinelink
- Traverse City Record-Eaglelink
- Warpbeatlink
- ABC7 — video link