Dolores Huerta Biography
Full Name: Dolores Clara Fernández Huerta
Born: April 10, 1930, Dawson, New Mexico, USA
Known For: Labor leader, civil rights activist, co-founder of the United Farm Workers (UFW)
Famous Slogan:“Sí, se puede” “Yes, we can”
Dolores Huerta is a pioneering American labor leader and civil rights activist who co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) alongside César Chávez. She has spent decades fighting for the rights of farmworkers, women, and marginalized communities.
Raised in California’s Central Valley, Huerta became a teacher but soon shifted to activism, seeing how poverty and injustice affected her students’ families. In the 1950s, she began organizing agricultural workers and quickly became known for her fierce advocacy and negotiation skills.
Huerta played a crucial role in landmark labor campaigns, including the Delano grape strike (1965) and negotiations that led to the first labor contracts for farmworkers. She was a key figure in grassroots organizing, nonviolent protest, and legislative lobbying.
Beyond labor rights, Huerta has championed women’s rights, immigration reform, and social justice, and she continues to be active well into her 90s.
In 2012, President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
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