Labor activist Dolores Huerta, who changed the lives of thousands of immigrant workers in the U.S., has passed away at the age of 96, her family announced.
“We know that many of you, all over the world, share in our grief, and we will keep you informed of the initiatives we will undertake to recognize and celebrate her extraordinary life and legacy,” her family announced via Instagram without specifying the cause of her death.
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Dolores Huerta had been battling cancer, according to U.S. media reports.
Advocate for farmworkers: She spearheaded the farmers’ protests in California
This American of Mexican descent is an iconic figure in the struggle for civil rights. She spent her life defending farmworkers, who were often immigrants to the United States.
She was the one who coined the slogan “Si se puede” during the farmers’ protests in California, before Barack Obama translated it decades later into “Yes we can” to win the White House in 2008.
She fought for farmworkers to gain the right to unionize, and in 1962 she co-founded, along with César Chávez, what would become the United Farm Workers union.
This organization, which remains the most influential agricultural union in the United States, was rocked earlier this year by allegations of rape against Chávez dating back to the 1970s.
On that occasion, Dolores Huerta revealed that Chávez had raped her as well, but she had said nothing, even after his death in 1993, for fear of destroying the legacy of their labor struggles.
Dolores Huerta and César Chávez had organized strikes at that time, spectacular marches to the California State Capitol, and a national boycott of table grapes to protest the poor working conditions of the workers who harvested grape harvest, particularly their exposure to pesticides.
She fought for abortion rights: She had been standing next to Robert Kennedy shortly before he was assassinated
This mother of 11 children by three different fathers also participated in the fight for abortion rights alongside Angela Davis and Gloria Steinem.
She had been arrested more than twenty times, was beaten and seriously injured by the police during a 1988 demonstration in San Francisco, and twenty years earlier had stood on the podium next to Robert Kennedy just minutes before his assassination.
Flags at Half-Mast in California—Newsom: Dolores Represented the Best in All of Us
California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered today that state flags be flown at half-mast.
“Dolores represented the best in all of us,” the Democratic governor emphasized in a statement issued in both English and Spanish. “California—and the United States—would not be what we are today without her determination, without her passion for justice and fairness, and without her commitment to men and women who are forgotten and marginalized.”
“Her legacy lies not only in what she accomplished, but also in the people who follow in her footsteps (…) and continue to build a better world,” added Newsom, who is considered a potential Democratic candidate in the 2028 presidential election.
Dolores changed California, our nation, and countless lives forever. She gave a voice to the forgotten, dignity to the overlooked, and hope to generations who dared to believe in a better world. Her courage changed history. Her legacy will live on in every fight for justice. https://t.co/z8QKUTshz6
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) October 28, 2026
Nancy Pelosi, former Democratic leader in Congress, emphasized that the labor leader “inspired generations of Americans to believe in the power of collective action.”
Today, we sadly mourn the loss of Dolores Huerta, a leader in the American labor movement and a champion for civil rights. Dolores was a dear friend whose rallying cry, “Sí se puede,” inspired generations of Americans to believe in the power of collective action. https://t.co/YeeL890slv
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) October 28, 2026
She fought against racism even in the final years of her life
Even in her final years, Dolores Huerta remained active through her foundation based in Bakersfield, in the agricultural heart of California.
Following Donald Trump’s return to power last year, she called on today’s activists to prepare for the midterm elections, which will take place next Tuesday, so that Congress would swing to the Democrats.
The anti-immigrant campaign waged by the U.S. president is “absolutely appalling,” she told Agence France-Presse in July 2025.
For Dolores Huerta, the racist tendencies she had faced as a young labor activist never went away.
“I believe that this disease—which is racism—is what has truly infected our political system,” she said. “Trump is, in fact, exploiting this racism when he continues to place immigrants—primarily people of color—in detention centers.”
Source: iefimerida.gr
