Dolores Huerta, United Farm Workers Co-Founder, Dies at 96

Dolores Huerta, the labor organizer who co-founded the United Farm Workers union and popularized the rallying cry "Sí, se puede," died Wednesday at age 96, according to The Guardian. Lawmakers, activists and union leaders began issuing tributes the same day, the paper reported.

What did labor leaders say about Huerta's death?

Teresa Romero, president of the United Farm Workers, said Huerta's commitment to organizing never wavered. "Dolores fought for farm workers to the very end of her life," Romero said, according to the Guardian. "The greatest possible tribute to her life is for her work of organizing to continue."

Hector Sanchez Barba, president of the voter mobilization group Mi Familia Vota, framed Huerta's reach as spanning from California farm towns to Washington. "From the fields of California to the halls of Congress and the White House, Dolores dedicated her life to ensuring that every voice — especially those too often silenced — was heard," Sanchez Barba said, per the Guardian. He added that her phrase "Sí, se puede" is "not just a slogan; it is a living call to action that continues to unite and inspire millions across the world."

What did Huerta accomplish with the United Farm Workers?

Huerta helped found the United Farm Workers in California's Central Valley and helped organize the 1965 Delano grape strike, a national boycott of table grapes that the Guardian reports led to better wages and working conditions for grape pickers. The union's organizing campaign stretched beyond the fields: the Guardian notes Huerta also helped negotiate national immigration policy during her decades of activism.

How has California honored Huerta?

California lawmakers formally recognized Huerta's legacy in 2018 by declaring April 10 — her birthday — Dolores Huerta Day, according to the Guardian. Several California schools now carry her name, and murals depicting her likeness appear across the state. The Guardian's report was illustrated with a photo from a Dia de los Muertos display at a Huerta-named elementary school in San Francisco.

Huerta, by the numbers

• 96 — Huerta's age at the time of her death, reported Wednesday.
• 1965 — the year of the Delano grape strike she helped organize.
• 2018 — the year California designated April 10 as Dolores Huerta Day.

How far does her legacy extend beyond California?

The Guardian reports Huerta's influence reached national and international audiences: her portrait hangs at some U.S. embassies, and schools in several states beyond California are named after her. Her rallying cry, adopted decades ago by farm worker organizers, has since been invoked by activists and politicians in movements well outside agricultural labor.

"Our greatest monument to her memory is for the union she helped found to continue to grow." — Teresa Romero, UFW president, via The Guardian

The Guardian's report did not specify a cause of death or funeral arrangements. Additional details on services, if announced, are expected to come from the United Farm Workers union directly.

For a Bay Area-baked gift, Stirred, Not Shaken ships in the U.S.