Farmworker advocate, activist Dolores Huerta dies after longstanding legacy in California

Dolores Huerta, one of the leading advocates for farmworker and immigrant rights who co-founded the United Farm Workers amid labor strikes and boycott protests throughout California, died on Wednesday. She was 96. 

Huerta was also known for championing women and LGBTQ+ rights. After resigning from the UFW in the early 2000s, Huerta created her own foundation in Bakersfield to support marginalized communities and promote social justice. 

Ralph Armbruster-Sandoval, the chair of the Chicana and Chicano Studies department at UC Santa Barbara, said Huerta shed light on issues surrounding pesticides and the labor conditions of farmworkers. 

She also protested against the low wages of farmworkers, and how many were denied bathroom breaks in the job, Armbruster-Sandoval said. 

“She’s an absolute legend,” Armbruster-Sandoval said.

Huerta advocated for people who were exposed to harmful pesticides while working in the fields, and spoke to an audience of 100 at La Casa de la Raza about these issues, according to a report from the News-Press in 1998. 

Her influence on Santa Barbara continued on after she implored a group of Latina women at UCSB to vote and become more politically active in 2004, the News-Press previously reported.  

In June 2023, Huerta met with UCSB students and Armbruster-Sandoval on a trip to Bakersfield to learn more about labor organizing. 

The same day, she had visited former vice president Kamala Harris in Los Angeles, Armbruster-Sandoval said, and later that night after hanging out with the students went salsa dancing.

At UCSB, a room in the university’s Chicana and Chicano Studies department is named after Huerta, Armbruster-Sandoval said. 

In 2012, Huerta was bestowed The Presidential Medal of Freedom, an award for the highest civilian in the United States, by former president Barack Obama.

She has her own documentary called “Dolores,” directed by Peter Bratt about her life as an activist and organizer. 

But Huerta’s impact transcends any award or accolade.

She coined the phrase, “Sí, se puede,” translating to “Yes, we can,” which became a rally cry heard around the nation for immigrants and farmworkers facing injustice.

Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara took to his X account to share his condolences on Wednesday. 

“I’m deeply saddened to hear of Dolores Huerta’s passing,” Carbajal wrote. “For decades, she embodied the power of organizing, persistence, and hope. 

“Her civil rights advocacy changed lives across California and the entire nation, and we’ll honor her legacy by continuing the fight. Sí, se puede.”

On Instagram, Monique Limón, who represents Santa Barbara on the State Senate, shared photos of her and Huerta, describing the activist as a “Leader. Champion. Feminist. Luchadora. Humanitarian.”

“I know how much we all gained by her leadership and having had the chance to work alongside her to champion so many critical causes. 

“My heart is heavy. We wanted to believe we would have her forever. We lost Dolores today but her work, advocacy and impact will live on.”

Huerta was a regular speaker in Santa Barbara and most recently visited TV Santa Barbara for an interview earlier this year.

She founded the UFW alongside Cesar Chavez, whose sexual abuse of Huerta and young girls in the organization was exposed earlier this year. Huerta recounted how Chavez had allegedly raped her in an interview with the The New York Times. 

Correction: A previous version of this story stated Dolores Huerta met former president Joe Biden in June 2023. She met former vice president Kamala Harris. A previous version also mentioned the room dedicated to Huerta was located in the UCSB Community Labor Center. It is located in the Chicana and Chicano Studies department.

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