Labor leader Dolores Huerta dies at 96

Dolores Huerta, a central figure in the United Farm Workers (UFW) and a lifelong advocate for farmworkers’ rights, died on Wednesday in Bakersfield, surrounded by family members, according to a family spokesperson. The cause of death was cancer.

Huerta, 96, remained active in labor and community organizing well beyond traditional retirement age. She co-founded the UFW in the early 1960s, helped recruit its first members, negotiated early contracts for farmworkers, and popularized the chant “Sí, se puede.”

In recent years she led the Dolores Huerta Foundation, which supports programs ranging from youth arts camps to flood relief in the Central Valley, and oversaw the construction of the Dolores Huerta Peace and Justice Cultural Center in Bakersfield, a $35 million project funded largely by the state of California.

“She was incredibly beloved, and an icon to many people around the country and the world,” family spokesperson Erik Olvera said.

Huerta also disclosed, late in life, that she had been a survivor of sexual abuse by fellow labor leader César Chávez, a revelation that sparked renewed scrutiny of Chávez’s legacy.

Historians and labor activists noted her role in key UFW achievements, including the 1966 contract with Schenley Wine Co. and the 1972 “Sí, se puede” slogan that became a rallying cry for progressive movements.

The family said details of a public memorial will be announced in the coming days.