Dolores Huerta, California labor leader and civil rights champion, dies aged 96

Dolores Huerta, a renowned labor leader and civil rights activist, passed away on Wednesday at her residence in Bakersfield, California, at the age of 96. Erik Olvera, a representative for Huerta’s family, announced on Wednesday that the activist had succumbed to cancer. Huerta was born on April 10, 1930, in Dawson, New Mexico, to a coal miner.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Huerta emerged as one of the most influential and motivational labor figures of her era. In 1966, she co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) with Cesar Chavez and Gilbert Padilla. This union later amalgamated with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee to establish the United Farm Workers, the oldest continuous union for agricultural workers in the country.

While Cesar Chavez functioned as the public face and vocal representative of the organization, Huerta served as its vice president for nearly four decades, consistently ranking second to Chavez until his demise in 1993.

Behind the scenes, Huerta played a crucial role in orchestrating walkouts, boycotts, and other labor protests. She led the Delano grape strike of 1965 alongside Filipino leader Larry Itliong. Although Huerta adopted Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s non-violent protest strategies, she was arrested 22 times for her involvement in various labor demonstrations throughout her career. In one instance, she was brutally beaten by a police officer, resulting in multiple broken ribs and a ruptured spleen.