Civil rights icon Dolores Huerta dies at 96

Dolores Huerta, a central figure in the American civil rights and labor movements, died on Wednesday, October 28, 2026. She was 96 years old. The news of her death confirmed the end of a decades-long career dedicated to organizing agricultural workers and fighting for social justice in the United States.

Huerta served as the co-founder of the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers (UFW) union. She worked alongside César E. Chávez, whom she met in 1955 while both were involved with the Community Services Organization. In 1962, the pair left that group to form their own organization to better represent the interests of field workers.

Her role in the union differed from Chávez's. While Chávez acted as the public voice and dynamic leader, Huerta focused on internal organization and negotiation. Opponents often called her the "dragon lady" because of her tough bargaining style. Under their joint leadership, farm workers gained leverage through boycotts of products like grapes and lettuce.

Key legislative victories under their guidance included the passage of the Agricultural Labor Relations Act in 1975. This law was the first of its kind in the United States to grant farm workers the right to organize and demand better working conditions. Huerta also helped secure disability insurance and family aid for agricultural workers in California.

In 1975, Huerta promoted a bill that offered amnesty to farm workers who had lived, worked, and paid taxes in the country but lacked citizenship. This legislation laid the groundwork for the Immigration Act of 1985, which ultimately provided amnesty to 1.4 million agricultural workers.

Huerta is also credited with creating the slogan "Sí se puede," which was later popularized by President Barack Obama during his political campaigns. When Obama apologized for using her phrase, Huerta told him, "Yes, you did." In 2011, Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the nation.

Her personal history was rooted in the labor movement. Her father, Juan Fernández, was a union activist and miner in New Mexico. After his divorce from her mother, Alicia, the family moved to Stockton, California, in the San Joaquin Valley. Alicia ran a restaurant and a 70-room hotel that frequently housed farm families for free. Huerta attended Delta Community College, studied education, and worked as a primary school teacher before deciding to organize workers instead.

She described her decision to leave teaching in an interview, stating she could not watch children enter the classroom hungry and in need of shoes. She believed she could do more by organizing the farmers than by trying to teach their hungry children. Throughout her life, she was arrested more than 20 times during protests. In 1988, she was severely injured by a police officer while demonstrating against George Bush, then a presidential candidate.

Early in 2026, Huerta returned to the news cycle after accusing Chávez of sexual assault. The revelation renewed public debate about the legacy of the UFW and the figures who led it. She also spent time later in her life advocating for women's rights, arguing that society often educated women to be submissive rather than strong.

The United Farm Workers Union and various political figures have noted her contributions to the labor movement. Her death marks the final chapter in a life spent advocating for vulnerable communities across the United States.