what to know
- Farmworker and labor movement icon Dolores Huerta has died at the age of 96, her family said.
- In 1955, Huerta co-founded the Stockton, Calif., chapter of the Community Service Organization (CSO) and later the Agricultural Workers Association.
- In 1962, she co-founded the National Farm Workers Association. Three years later, the UFW was formed within the movement, with Huerta serving as vice president until 1999.
Pioneering civil rights leader Dolores Huerta, a prominent figure in California farmworkers and the labor movement, has died at age 96, according to her family.
Details on the cause of death were not immediately released. The Huerta family announced the news in a social media post shared by the Huerta Foundation on Wednesday morning.
“We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved mother, Dolores Huerta, passed away today at the age of 96,” Huerta’s family posted on Facebook. “As you can imagine, this is an extremely difficult time for us, and we ask for privacy as we grieve this incredible loss to our family. We know that many around the world are grieving with us, and we will have follow-up plans to honor and celebrate her incredible life and legacy.”
Born in New Mexico to farmworker and miner parents, Huerta moved with her mother to Stockton, California, where Alicia Huerta worked as a waitress and cannery worker until she saved enough money to buy a small hotel and restaurant.
Huerta earned an associate’s degree from Pacific University’s Delta College and taught briefly in the 1950s, but after witnessing hungry farm children going to school, he felt compelled to help organize farmers and farm workers.
In 1955, she co-founded the Stockton chapter of the Community Service Organization (CSO) and later the Agricultural Workers Association.
Huerta met labor leader Cesar Chavez through colleagues in civil society organizations, and the two activists founded the National Farm Workers Association in 1962. Three years later, the UFW was founded within the movement, with Huerta serving as vice president until 1999.
It was her first public appearance since coming forward with sexual abuse allegations against Cesar Chavez. The film will air on NBC4 News on Saturday, May 16, 2026 at 6 pm.
In March, Huerta issued a statement accusing Chavez of sexually abusing her during the California labor movement in the 1960s.
During his tenure at the UFW, Huerta made many efforts to support farm workers, including negotiating contracts and passionately advocating for safer working conditions, including the elimination of harmful pesticides, and providing unemployment and health care benefits for agricultural workers. In 1973, Huerta led a consumer boycott of grapes that led to the groundbreaking California Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975.
In 2012, President Obama awarded Huerta the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her efforts on behalf of underserved groups. The medal is the nation’s highest civilian honor.
Huerta received numerous awards for her work, including the 1998 Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award from President Bill Clinton. The Dolores Huerta Foundation was established in 2002 and works on community organizations and state and national issues.
Several Southern California landmarks, including Dolores Huerta Plaza in the Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles, are named after her.
In May, Huerta attended a dedication ceremony for her new mural in downtown Los Angeles. The mural, titled “Into History,” was created by Robert Vargas, the artist behind several famous murals in Los Angeles.