Civil Rights Icon and Labor Leader Dolores Huerta Dies at 96
Labor activist and civil rights icon Dolores Huerta has died at age 96. Explore the life, legacy, and enduring impact of the historic organizer.
POLICY WIRE — Bakersfield, California — Dolores Huerta, the renowned labor activist and civil rights leader who co-founded the organization that later became the United Farm Workers alongside Cesar Chavez, has passed away at the age of 96.
Her family announced the death in a statement published on social media through her foundation, confirming that she passed away Wednesday at home.
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, the family stated. We know that many of you around the world share in our mourning.
Even well into her 90s, Huerta maintained an active schedule, participating in demonstrations and lecturing nationwide regarding race, poverty, LGBTQ+, and women’s rights through her Bakersfield, California-based foundation.
Her unwavering determination secured her legacy as one of America’s most prominent labor organizers, civil rights figures, and feminist leaders. Her iconic three-word Spanish rallying cry, Sí se puede, which translates to Yes, it can be done, reflected her core conviction that ordinary people have the power to drive systemic change.
Over decades of tireless advocacy, Huerta received numerous prestigious honors, most notably the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is the nation’s highest civilian distinction.
During the 2012 presentation ceremony, then-President Barack Obama lauded Huerta as an exceptionally tenacious leader and lightheartedly acknowledged that he had adopted her famous slogan for his own 2008 presidential campaign.
Earlier in the year, Huerta prompted widespread astonishment across the Latino community by disclosing that she experienced sexual abuse in the 1960s by Cesar Chavez, resulting in the birth of two children—a profound secret she guarded for six decades following his death.
Beginning in the early 1970s, Huerta shared her life with partner Richard Chavez, the brother of César, and the couple raised four children together. She also raised seven children from two previous marriages.
Huerta explained that she maintained her silence for decades out of fear that speaking out would jeopardize her lifelong mission and undermine the extensive progress achieved for laborers.
When questioned during a 2026 interview with the media outlet Latino USA about keeping the sensitive information concealed, Huerta reflected: 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.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
