Dolores Huerta, Civil Rights Icon, Dies at 96
Co-founder of United Farm Workers Union leaves complex legacy, including recent revelations of past abuse.
Callum Smith
US civil rights leader Dolores Huerta has died at the age of 96.
Huerta earned wide recognition for her activism, coining the phrase “Si, se puede!” She became the first Latina inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.
She also worked on presidential campaigns for Democratic candidates, including Robert F. Kennedy, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden. The Presidential Medal of Freedom was awarded to Huerta in 2012.
Huerta endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential Democratic primary. Her life of activism led to 22 jailings for union demonstrations.
Huerta had 13 children from multiple marriages and relationships. Four elementary schools in California, one in Fort Worth, Texas, and one high school in Pueblo, Colorado, bear her name.
This year, Huerta revealed she suffered sexual abuse in the 1960s by César Chavez, leading to the birth of two children. She claimed Chavez raped her during the winter of 1966 in a vehicle in a secluded California grape field.
Dolores Huerta reflected on her personal struggles, stating, “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.”
Rosario Dawson offered a contrasting perspective on Huerta's later life and enduring impact, claiming Huerta had become “an instrument of the establishment.”