Dolores Huerta, California labor leader and civil rights champion, dies aged 96
Summary
Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers and a prominent labor and civil rights activist, died in California at 96, her family said. She helped organize strikes, boycotts and protests for farm workers and advocated for women’s rights. In interviews published shortly before her death, Huerta said Cesar Chavez had raped her in 1966.Key Facts
- Huerta co-founded the United Farm Workers with Cesar Chavez.
- The union used strikes, boycotts and protests in the 1960s and 1970s to seek better pay and working conditions for agricultural workers.
- Huerta was born in New Mexico in 1930 and became involved in union activism.
- She worked on Democratic presidential campaigns, including Robert F. Kennedy’s 1968 campaign and campaigns for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
- Huerta is credited with coining “Sí, se puede!” (Yes, we can), a United Farm Workers slogan later adapted by Obama’s 2008 campaign.
- In interviews published by The New York Times in March, Huerta said Chavez raped her in 1966 and that she did not report it at the time.
- Huerta received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama in 2012.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
