Dolores Huerta, the influential American labor leader and civil rights activist who helped transform the lives of farmworkers, has died at the age of 96.
Her family announced her death on October 28, 2026. Huerta died at her home in Bakersfield, California, surrounded by family, according to the Associated Press.
Huerta became one of the most influential figures in the American farmworker movement. Alongside César Chávez, she helped establish the National Farm Workers Association in 1962. The organization later became the United Farm Workers, a union that fought for better wages, safer working conditions and stronger protections for agricultural laborers.
From teaching to the farmworker movement
Huerta was born Dolores Clara Fernández in Dawson, New Mexico, in 1930. She later moved to California with her family, where she grew up among working-class communities. She initially worked as an elementary school teacher in California’s agricultural San Joaquin Valley. However, seeing children arrive at school hungry and without basic necessities changed the course of her life.
Huerta decided that organizing farmworkers could help address the poverty affecting their families. She began working with community organizations before joining forces with Chávez to build a labor movement for agricultural workers. Their efforts helped organize strikes, boycotts and negotiations with major agricultural producers. Huerta became a skilled negotiator who helped secure contracts that improved workers’ wages, benefits and working conditions.
The movement’s most significant campaigns included the Delano grape strike, which began in 1965 and lasted five years. Filipino farmworkers initiated the strike, and Mexican American workers later joined them. The campaign helped draw national attention to the conditions facing agricultural laborers.
The woman behind “Sí, se puede”
Huerta also became known for the Spanish phrase “Sí, se puede,” meaning “Yes, it can be done.” The slogan became a rallying cry for people seeking social change. Former US President Barack Obama later adopted the phrase for his 2008 presidential campaign. When Obama awarded Huerta the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012, he publicly acknowledged her influence on the slogan.
Her work extended beyond labor rights. Huerta advocated for women’s equality, immigrant rights, voting access and environmental protections. She continued organizing and speaking publicly well into her 90s.
In 2002, she established the Dolores Huerta Foundation to help communities organize around local issues and develop new leaders. The organization continues to support community advocacy and civic participation.
A complex legacy and a lasting influence
Huerta’s legacy also became part of a broader reckoning within the farmworker movement in 2026. In March, she publicly disclosed that Chávez had sexually assaulted her in the 1960s. She said the experiences resulted in two pregnancies and that she had kept the events secret for decades.
Her disclosure brought renewed scrutiny to Chávez’s legacy and highlighted the personal cost Huerta said she had carried while helping build the movement.
Despite the difficulties she faced, Huerta remained a prominent advocate for workers and marginalized communities throughout her life. Her organizing helped secure lasting labor protections and inspired generations of activists.
Her death marks the end of a remarkable life dedicated to collective action and social justice. The phrase she helped popularize, “Sí, se puede,” remains closely associated with her work and the wider movements she helped shape.
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