Dolores Huerta, the UFW co-founder who forged labor justice and coined 'Sí, se puede,' dies at 96
The labor organizer helped build the modern farm workers movement and coined the slogan 'Sí, se puede.'
By Madison Lewis ·
Dolores Huerta, the co-founder of the United Farm Workers union, has died in California at age 96. Her family announced the news on Wednesday. They stated that she was their beloved mother and asked for privacy while they grieve. The family said they would share plans to celebrate her life later.
Huerta built her career in labor activism and electoral politics. She co-founded the UFW with Cesar Chavez in the 1960s. Together, they led strikes and boycotts that improved pay and working conditions for agricultural workers. Huerta was born in New Mexico in 1930. She followed her father, a miner and farm worker, into union work. She also contributed to several Democratic presidential campaigns. Her efforts helped Robert F. Kennedy secure the 1968 nomination. She later supported the election bids of Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
The union credited Huerta with coining the phrase "Sí, se puede." Obama adapted the slogan for his successful 2008 campaign. The UFW described her as Chavez's right hand. They also noted she could be a thorn in his side. The two were known for heated arguments, which Huerta viewed as a healthy part of their collaboration.
In March, one month before her 96th birthday, Huerta spoke about a difficult chapter in her past. She told the New York Times that Chavez raped her in a vehicle in a California grape field in the winter of 1966. She was 36 at the time. Her account emerged as other allegations of abuse against Chavez surfaced. Huerta said she did not report the assault because authorities were hostile toward the UFW. She feared no one in the union would believe her. Chavez died in 1993.
After Chavez, Huerta entered a long-term domestic partnership with his brother, Richard. They had four children together. Richard died in 2011. The UFW stated that Huerta was a fierce advocate for women's rights. They said she was seemingly unaware of the impact she had on farm worker women and young women everywhere.
Huerta received the Presidential Medal of Honor in 2012. Obama presented the award at the White House. She was one of 13 recipients that year. Her name now appears on four elementary schools in California, one in Fort Worth, Texas, and a high school in Pueblo, Colorado.
