Labor Organizer Dolores Huerta Dies at 96
Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers, died at age 96, according to a family statement.
Dolores Huerta, a longtime labor organizer and co-founder of the United Farm Workers (UFW), died on Wednesday at the age of 96, her family announced. > "We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved mother, Dolores Huerta, has passed away today," the statement read.
Born Dolores Clara Fernandez on April 10, 1930, in Dawson, New Mexico, she was raised by her mother Alicia after her parents' divorce. Huerta spent decades advocating for farmworkers' rights and broader civil-rights issues, working alongside Cesar Chavez during the 1960s.
In a recent interview with The New York Times, Huerta disclosed that she experienced sexual assault by Chavez in 1966 during a UFW boycott and earlier in 1960, describing the incidents as unreported due to concerns about police hostility toward the movement and doubts that union members would believe her.