Dolores Huerta, influential labor leader, feminist and civil rights icon, dies at 96
Dolores Huerta, a legendary labor leader and civil rights activist who co-founded the United Farm Workers union, has died at 96. Her legacy includes the iconic 'Sí, se puede!' slogan and a lifetime of advocacy for marginalized communities, though her later years were marked by the revelation of past abuse by César Chavez.
Why it matters
Recognizes the passing of a pivotal figure in American labor history and the complex legacy of the farmworker movement.
Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers union to improve working conditions in the nation's fruit and vegetable fields and coined the phrase "Sí, se puede!" that became a widespread rallying cry, has died. She was 96.
Huerta's family said in a statement through her foundation that she died Wednesday at home.
She kept a busy schedule well into her 90s, marching in protests and speaking in cities across the country about race, poverty, LGBTQ+ and women's rights on behalf of her Bakersfield, California-based foundation.
Huerta's resolve cemented her place in history as one of the nation's most influential labor leaders, civil rights icons and feminist activists. Her three-word Spanish-language slogan — which translates to "Yes, it can be done" — was grounded in the belief that people could affect change.
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