Remembering Dolores Huerta: A Legacy of Labor and Justice

A woman in a vibrant pink jacket speaking at a podium with a microphone, gesturing with her right hand, in front of a backdrop with text. — Dolores Huerta, the pioneering labor organizer and co-founder of the United Farm Workers, dedicated more than seven decades to advancing farmworkers’ rights and social justice. She died October 28, 2026, at age 96. (Photo: Dolores Huerta Foundation)

Dolores Huerta, the pioneering labor organizer, feminist and civil rights activist who co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW), died Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at her home in Bakersfield, California. She was 96.

According to the Dolores Huerta Foundation, Huerta died surrounded by her family, leaving behind a legacy that transformed the American labor movement and inspired generations of advocates for social justice.

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Huerta became one of the nation’s most influential labor leaders through her work organizing agricultural workers, negotiating historic union contracts and advocating for legislation protecting farmworkers’ rights. Alongside César Chávez and Filipino American labor leaders, including Larry Itliong, she helped build the movement that became the United Farm Workers.

Her organizing played a pivotal role in the nationwide grape boycott and the fight for California’s landmark Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975, which established farmworkers’ rights to organize and bargain collectively.

Huerta’s rallying cry, “Sí, se puede” (“Yes, we can”), became an enduring message of hope and empowerment for labor, civil rights and social justice movements worldwide.

Her activism extended beyond workers’ rights to include women’s political representation, immigrant rights, reproductive freedom, LGBTQ+ equality, environmental justice and voting rights. Despite facing sexism, arrests, threats and violence, she continued advocating for marginalized communities well into her 90s.

In 2003, Huerta founded the Dolores Huerta Foundation with her daughters Camila Chávez, Lori de León and Alicia Huerta. The organization continues her mission by training community members and young leaders to advocate for stronger schools, environmental protections, civil rights and more responsive government.

Her lifetime of service earned numerous honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, awarded by President Barack Obama in 2012, and the Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Human Rights in 1998.

The foundation also announced plans to open the Dolores Huerta Peace and Justice Cultural Center in California’s Central Valley in 2027, creating a permanent home for the organizing traditions she championed.

Huerta is survived by 14 children, 24 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren and seven great-great-grandchildren, along with generations of activists inspired by her work.

In a statement, her family expressed profound grief and requested privacy as they mourn, adding that plans to celebrate her life and legacy will be announced soon.

“We are sad to announce that our beloved mother, Dolores Huerta, has passed away today at the age of 96,” the family said in its statement.

“As you can imagine, this is an incredibly difficult time for us, and we ask for privacy as we grieve this incredible loss to our family. We know that many of you around the world share in our mourning, and we will be following up on plans to recognize and celebrate her incredible life and legacy.”

The family also shared Huerta’s request that, in lieu of flowers or gifts, contributions be made to the Dolores Huerta Foundation.

Her legacy lives on through the workers she helped empower, the communities she organized and the generations who continue to carry her message forward.

Sí, se puede. Yes, we can.

Source: Dolores Huerta Foundation — In Memory of Dolores Huerta.

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