Dolores Huerta Dies at 96, Months After Revealing 1966 Assault
The union co-founder’s family announced her death on Wednesday, following recent interviews where she detailed a long-suppressed attack by her late partner, Cesar Chavez.
By Yasmin Nasser ·
Dolores Huerta, the labor organizer who co-founded the United Farm Workers union, died on Wednesday in California at age 96. Her family confirmed the news in a social media post, asking for privacy during their mourning period. Huerta’s death marks the end of a decades-long career in organizing agricultural workers and advocating for civil rights.
The union’s leadership had long described Huerta and Chavez as a dynamic duo. In a statement on its website, the UFW noted that while she served as Chavez’s right hand, she was also a "greatest thorn in his side." The organization characterized their frequent, loud arguments as a "healthy and necessary part of the growth process" in their professional relationship.
That public image shifted in March, one month before Huerta’s 96th birthday. In interviews with The New York Times, she revealed that Chavez had raped her in the winter of 1966. She said the assault took place in a vehicle parked in a secluded grape field in California. Huerta, who was 36 at the time, told the newspaper she did not report the incident because local authorities were hostile toward the UFW. She also feared that union members would not believe her.
Huerta was born in New Mexico in 1930 and entered union activism after following her father, a miner and farm worker. She became a political operative, working on presidential campaigns for several Democratic candidates. Her work included helping Robert F. Kennedy secure the party’s nomination in 1968 before his assassination. She later aided the election campaigns of Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
She is widely credited with creating the slogan "Sí, se puede!" for the UFW. Obama adapted the phrase as a rallying cry for his successful 2008 presidential campaign. In 2012, President Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Honor, the highest civilian award in the United States, during a ceremony at the White House.
After her partnership with Chavez, Huerta entered a long-term domestic relationship with his brother, Richard. The couple had four children together. Richard died in 2011. Chavez passed away in 1993. Schools in California, Texas, and Colorado have been named in her honor, including four elementary schools in California and one high school in Pueblo, Colorado.
The UFW stated that Huerta was a fierce advocate for women’s rights. The union suggested she was "seemingly unaware of the tremendous impact" she had on farm worker women and young women globally. Her family said they would announce plans to celebrate her life and legacy in the coming weeks.
