Labor leader and civil rights icon Dolores Huerta dies at 96

Labor leader and civil rights icon Dolores Huerta has died at the age of 96, according to reports from ABC7 Bay Area, NBC Bay Area, the Mountain View Voice, SFGATE, and KQED. ABC7 Bay Area reported that she died on Wednesday at her home in Bakersfield. SFGATE reported that her death followed a battle with cancer. [1][2][3][4][5]

Huerta spent decades organizing farmworkers and fighting for labor rights, voting rights, and social justice, ABC7 Bay Area reported. Bay Area leaders and elected officials paid tribute to her influence across California following the news of her passing, according to ABC7 Bay Area and the Mountain View Voice. [1][3]

Earlier in her career, Huerta worked with the Community Service Organization before co-founding the National Farm Workers Association alongside Cesar Chavez and Gilbert Padilla. That organization later merged with another group to form the United Farm Workers. She managed East Coast boycott campaigns and led negotiations with agricultural companies during major labor actions, including the 1965 Delano grape strike. [6][7]

Huerta originated the union slogan "sí, se puede" while organizing grassroots campaigns that secured better wages and working conditions for agricultural laborers. She later established the Dolores Huerta Foundation in 2002 to continue supporting community organizing. [4][6][7]