For more than 60 years, one woman has been at the forefront of several social movements that cut across all racial, gender, economic, and political divides: Dolores Huerta.
And this week, the matriarch of social justice was in San Diego to encourage a new generation of community leaders to continue the movement toward social equality.
“Sí se puede!” has long been the battle cry for workers, Latino activists, and political candidates, but the roots of that slogan trace back to a woman small in stature yet large in presence. Dolores Huerta humbly admits to having coined that simple phrase that has given countless movements a voice, and given millions of people hope for a tomorrow better than today.
Born in New Mexico in 1930 to politically active parents, Huerta grew up in Stockton and saw first-hand the tough existence of farm workers and other low-wage laborers. Her mother owned a small hotel that rented rooms to those workers at low rates, and sometimes completely free. Huerta was a Girl Scout through High School, and went on to nearby University of the Pacific. She soon earned a teaching credential and taught the children of local farm workers. It was there she realized she could do more for these families by improving the working conditions and wages of the workers than by simply educating their hungry children.
Beginning in 1955, Huerta first helped impact the Latino community through voter registration efforts in the Stockton area to improvement their barrio areas. Her success there led to co-founding a farm workers’ association in 1960, before she joined forces in 1962 with another farm worker organizer named Cesar Chavez. Together, their groups eventually became the now-famous United Farm Workers (UFW). Their efforts in 1966 led to the first bargaining agreement between workers and an agricultural company, followed soon after by an agreement that ended the five-year Delano grape boycott that brought union organizing rights into the mainstream public discourse.
But Huerta’s work has touched many topics beyond the plight of farm workers. For years, she has been a fierce advocate for women’s rights, for better access to health care for children, equality for all regardless of sexual orientation, financial literacy for working families, and many other causes. She crossed over all sectors of social activism like no other figure of the civil rights struggle.
Today, at age 86, Huerta continues to pursue her dream of social equality. The vehicle for her current activities is the Dolores Huerta Foundation which seeks to advance civic engagement through voter registration and outreach. Her mind is sharp, her eyes are bright with excitement, and her body is healthy and fit for someone even 20 years younger. At only five feet tall, Huerta still commands a room when she speaks, as she did this week at a San Diego Foundation event to promote civic engagement.
But history seems to have been less kind to her than many of her contemporaries in the civil rights battles of the 1960s and on. Cesar Chavez has a national holiday in his name. Martin Luther King, Jr. has tributes across the country in his honor. And Rosa Parks is a nationally recognized historical figure that all school children know.
Unfortunately, many important figures that helped shape our country have become more highly regarded only after their deaths, gaining an immortality that forever freezes their faces in our collective social consciousness. For too many, they didn’t live to see their work recognized for its importance and contribution to making our country
a more perfect union.
Today, we still have one of those direct links to an important time in our history in our midst. Her work should be respected for the impact it has had, not just for Latinos, but for people of all races, genders, sexual orientation, and economic standing.
We all owe a debt of gratitude to Dolores Huerta, and we should pay our respects during her lifetime to let her know she truly made an impact in the lives of millions.
It was our honor to interview Huerta this week. We had the opportunity to thank her for her lifetime of commitment to improving the lives of others. We know we stand on the shoulders of giants like her. And she inspired us to continue the important work of social justice and equality for all. We promise to honor that commitment.
Que viva Dolores Huerta!
Sí se puede!