Civil rights icon Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers union, has passed away at 96, leaving behind a legacy of activism that reshaped labor rights for farmworkers. Her efforts in California, including organizing the 1965 Delano grape strike and founding the UFW, secured improved wages and working conditions through a national boycott. The state honors her impact with named schools, public murals, and an official holiday on her birthday. Leaders and activists across the U.S. are reflecting on her enduring influence in the fight for workers' rights.
Lawmakers, activists and union leaders across the US remember the co-founder of United Farm Workers unionFollowing the news that Dolores Huerta – the civil rights icon who popularized the rallying cry “Sí, se puede! – had died at the age of 96 on Wednesday, activists, lawmakers and civil rights leaders paid tribute to Hureta’s long and lasting legacy.In California – where Huerta helped found the United Farm Workers (UFW) union – her death was deeply felt. It was in California’s central valley that she laid the foundations for the United Farm Workers, and helped organize the 1965 Delano grape strike – a national boycott of table grapes that resulted in better wages and working conditions for grape pickers. Several schools in California bear her name, and murals across the state depict her likeness. And in 2018, California declared 10 April – her birthday – Dolores Huerta Day. Continue reading...
