Si se puede! Remembering the unforgettable legacy of Dolores Huerta
"Every moment is an organizing opportunity, every person a potential activist, every minute a chance to change the world."-Dolores Huerta
Dolores Huerta was an activist, leader, and icon, who without a doubt shaped our world for the better. She was co-founder of the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) and in years following became a major supporter of women's rights and the democratic party. And while she did amazing things, she also overcame numerous obstacles to get to where she is.
Dolores Huerta was born April 10, 1930 to Alicia Chavez and Juan Fernandez, in New Mexico. Her parents divorced when she was 3, and she was raised predominantly by her mother, whose hospitality and kindness served as inspiration for who she became. She attended Stockton High School, where her experiences with racial discrimination shaped her early understanding of injustice. Growing up where she did also gave her early exposure to the truth of the working conditions of migrant farmers in their area.
Dolores later went to Delta College where she earned her teaching credential and went on to briefly teach in an elementary school in San Joaquin valley. There, she encountered numerous poor children, exhausted from working all morning in the fields. After realizing how much she could do to help she went on to co-found the NFWA with Cesar Chavez, and organize several nationwide boycotts.
Dolores went on to serve as vice-president of the NFWA which later became the United Farm Workers (UFW) for 37 years, before stepping down in 1999. During her term she helped lead the iconic Delano grape boycott, as well as coining the phrase, “si se puede” (yes we can), which became an iconic rallying cry. She also helped pass the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975, giving farmworkers the right to organize and bargain. She secured Aid For Farmworkers With Dependent Children, as well as disability insurance for farmworkers across California. Dolores also established the Dolores Huerta Foundation in 2002, which fought for women's and LTBTQ+ rights, as well as advancing voter registration, community organizing, and education reform.
Dolores Huerta was the daughter of a single mother, a victim of discrimination and racism throughout her life, a survivor of sexual assault, an icon for millions, a recipient of the presidential metal of freedom, a winner of the Elenor Roseavelt Award for Human Rights, and a placeholder in the National Womens Hall of Fame. She died at 96, on October 28, 2026, but will always be remembered for her kindness, fearlessness, and brilliance, and for the ways she changed the world.
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