Dolores Huerta, Farmworker Advocate, Dies at 96

Dolores Huerta died on Wednesday at the age of 96.

Her family announced the news on Instagram, describing her as their beloved mother. They requested privacy while they grieve and noted that many people around the world are mourning with them. The New York Times reported that she died of cancer at her home in Bakersfield.

Huerta was born in Dawson, New Mexico, in 1930. She moved to Stockton, California, with her mother and brothers. While teaching elementary school, she observed the difficult living conditions of farmworker families. She began volunteering with the Community Service Organization, where she met Cesar Chavez.

In 1962, Huerta and Chavez founded the National Farm Workers Association. The group later became the United Farm Workers. They organized the 1965 Delano grape strike. This effort led to a 300-mile march from Delano to Sacramento between March 17 and April 10, 1966. Mexican American and Filipino workers carried out the march. Students, clergy, and civil rights workers joined along the way. By the end of the march, the group secured its first union contract. The victory sparked a worldwide boycott that improved working conditions, including access to clean water and rest periods. Huerta was arrested 22 times during nonviolent protests.

Huerta and Chavez worked closely together for decades. This year, Huerta revealed that Chavez had raped her decades earlier. She was among several women who accused him of sexual abuse. Some said the assaults occurred when they were underage. Chavez died in 1993. Huerta told the New York Times that she stayed silent because she did not want to hurt the movement.

Her work also focused on immigration reform, a key issue for farmworkers from Latin America working in California’s Central Valley. President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012. She continued her advocacy through the Dolores Huerta Foundation in Bakersfield. Los Angeles County proclaimed a day in her honor in April 2025 when she turned 95. A legislative resolution noted she was the mother of 11 children.

Family spokesperson Erik Olvera told The San Francisco Standard that relatives are focusing on supporting one another. Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi paid tribute in a statement. She said Huerta was a dear friend and that her rallying cry, 'Sí se puede,' inspired generations of Americans to believe in collective action. Pelosi added that she hoped the family would find comfort in the prayers of those mourning their loss.