Dolores Huerta, the labour activist and civil rights leader who co-founded the organisation that later became the United Farm Workers, has died at the age of 96.
Her family said she died at home on Wednesday. In a statement issued through her foundation, they asked for privacy as they mourned what they described as an “incredible loss” to the family.
Huerta remained active into her 90s, taking part in protests and speaking across the United States about race, poverty, LGBTQ+ rights and women’s rights through her Bakersfield-based foundation.
Her campaigning made her one of the country’s most influential labour leaders, civil rights figures and feminist activists. The Spanish-language slogan “Sí se puede” – meaning “Yes, it can be done” – became closely associated with her belief that ordinary people could bring about change.
Huerta received numerous honours, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest civilian award. Barack Obama presented the medal in 2012, praising her as a tenacious leader and joking that he had borrowed her slogan for his 2008 presidential campaign.
Dolores Huerta’s legacy and personal revelation
Earlier this year, Huerta disclosed that she had been sexually abused by César Chávez in the 1960s, resulting in the birth of two children. She said she had kept the secret for six decades, including long after Chávez’s death, because she feared speaking out could damage her life’s work and undo progress made for workers.
In a 2026 interview with Latino USA, Huerta said: “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.”
From the early 1970s, Huerta’s life partner was Richard Chávez, César Chávez’s brother. They had four children together, while Huerta also had seven children from two earlier marriages.
