Dolores Huerta, Civil Rights Champion and Co-Founder of United Farm Workers, Dies at 96

Passing of a Labor Pioneer

Dolores Huerta, a prominent 1960s labor union leader and civil rights activist who helped shape American agricultural labor rights, died on Wednesday in California at the age of 96, according to a statement issued by her family. Huerta was widely recognized for co-founding the United Farm Workers union (UFW) alongside Cesar Chavez, utilizing strikes, boycotts, and protests to secure improved pay and working conditions for agricultural laborers during the 1960s and 1970s.

Born in New Mexico in 1930, Huerta followed her father—a miner and farm worker—into union activism. Beyond her work with the UFW, she engaged extensively in national politics, contributing to the presidential campaigns of several Democratic candidates. Her political work included supporting Robert F. Kennedy during his 1968 campaign and later aiding the presidential election efforts of Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Huerta is also credited with coining the phrase “¡Sí, se puede!” (“Yes, we can”), which served as the UFW’s slogan and was later adapted by Obama for his 2008 presidential campaign.

Complex Legacy and Public Revelations

While Huerta and Chavez formed a foundational partnership in the American labor movement, their working relationship was famously intense. The UFW noted on its official website that Huerta was often considered the “greatest thorn in his side,” citing frequent, fierce arguments that Huerta viewed as a healthy component of collaboration.

However, later accounts revealed severe personal complexities within the organization's history. In interviews published by the New York Times in March ahead of her 96th birthday, Huerta disclosed that Chavez had sexually assaulted her in the winter of 1966 in a vehicle in a California grape field. Huerta stated she did not report the assault at the time due to prevailing hostility from authorities toward the UFW and concerns that her allegations would not be believed within the union. Chavez died in 1993. Huerta later entered into a long-term domestic partnership with Chavez’s brother, Richard, with whom she had four children before his death in 2011.

Honors and Recognition

Throughout her life, Huerta received numerous civic honors. In 2012, President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom—the nation's highest civilian honor—at a White House ceremony. Multiple educational facilities across the United States have been named in her honor, including four elementary schools in California, one in Fort Worth, Texas, and a high school in Pueblo, Colorado.

In their social media statement announcing her death, her family requested privacy during their mourning period and noted that plans to celebrate her life and legacy would be announced at a later date.

Practical Implications and Verification

Readers seeking to verify the original reporting and official announcements regarding Dolores Huerta's passing can consult major news outlets and official statements, including the original coverage published by The Guardian at [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/28/dolores-huerta-dead-california).

• Confirmed Facts: Dolores Huerta passed away on Wednesday in California at age 96. She co-founded the UFW, coined the phrase “¡Sí, se puede!”, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012, and disclosed in early 2026 interviews that she had been assaulted by Cesar Chavez in 1966.
• What Remains Unknown: Specific details regarding public memorial service schedules or organizational transition plans have not yet been finalized or officially released by her family.