Editor's Note: Are you a Yuma County resident who has a personal memory of Dolores Huerta? Please email carmen.marquez@azwestern.edu
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Dolores Huerta, a pioneering labor leader and civil rights icon whose decades of activism reshaped the lives of farmworkers, has died. She was 96.
Huerta died of cancer at her home in Bakersfield, California, surrounded by family, according to Erik Olvera, a family spokesperson.
A dedicated activist, Huerta spent her life advocating for farmworkers’ rights and the dignified treatment of immigrants.
Monica Ketchum-Cardenas, a history professor at Arizona Western College, recalled meeting Huerta during a discussion on migrant education in the Imperial Valley.
“One of the things that I think is really important when I think about her is the fact that she was showing up and she would be there to support people even in a small place with not a lot of fanfare,” Ketchum-Cardenas said. “She was there for the community.”
Huerta rose to prominence alongside César Chávez, joining Filipino grape pickers on the picket line during the five-year Delano Grape Strike. Together, they negotiated collective bargaining agreements and contracts with major growers, securing the first health and benefit plans for farmworkers.
In a 2020 interview, when asked about her desired legacy, Huerta pointed to a landmark achievement: “Una ley muy importante, el voto en español. Antes no lo teníamos, yo pasé esa ley en Sacramento.”
Recognizing that language barriers and literacy tests were used to suppress the Latino vote, Huerta and Chávez successfully lobbied the California State Legislature in 1963 to mandate Spanish-language ballots.
Huerta also played a pivotal role in organizing Arizona farmworkers and orchestrating labor boycotts, even as state laws criminalized strikes and prohibited the use of the term “boycott.”
Ketchum-Cardenas noted that the famous rallying cry, “Sí se puede,” was coined by Huerta in Arizona in 1972.
“She was in Phoenix and people were telling her that you couldn’t organize labor here in Arizona, and she clapped back and said, ‘Sí se puede,’ you can do it,” Ketchum-Cardenas said. “So it grew into this nationwide idea that the people can advocate for themselves and that people can overcome.”
Throughout her career, Huerta maintained a demanding schedule, marching in protests and speaking across the country on issues of race, poverty, LGBTQ+ rights and women's rights on behalf of the Dolores Huerta Foundation. Her work earned her numerous accolades, most notably the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
More recently, Huerta made headlines regarding personal allegations from her past, claiming she was sexually abused in the 1960s by Chávez, an allegation that she stated led to the birth of two children, and which she kept secret for 60 years.
As midterm elections approach, Huerta’s advocacy remained focused on the importance of electoral participation. In a final appeal to her community, she urged, “Hola, habla Dolores Huerta, y les quiero pedir por favor que tenemos que votar, su voto es muy importante, tiene poder, vale y lo necesitamos, así que por favor voten, voten, voten, sí se puede con el voto.”
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Arizona elected officials are remembering farmworker civil rights leader Dolores Huerta, who passed away Wednesday, members of her family announced.
Huerta spoke at a rally in San Luis, Ariz. for the United Farm Workers group on Oct. 16, 1974, as reported by the Yuma Sun. It was not immediately clear if she had visited Yuma County in recent years.
"I’m heartbroken by the passing of Dolores Huerta, an American icon, and a trailblazer whose courage, conviction, and lifelong fight for justice changed the world," Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva, whose district includes part of Yuma County, said in a released statement. "As a co-founder of the United Farm Workers union and a former public school teacher, she devoted her life to advancing workers’ rights, civil rights, and dignity for all.
Huerta attended the 2025 celebration of life for the late Congressman Raul Grijalva in Tucson.
Below are more statements from elected officials in Arizona. We'll add more from Yuma County leaders as we receive them:
Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva- "She was the voice for so many communities who didn’t feel like they had one. She was a champion — our guerrera until the very end, putting her all into the candidates, causes, and issues she cared deeply about.
For generations of Latinas, workers, and everyday people who knew a better world was possible, Dolores was more than a leader. She was a walking example of what it means to speak up, stand tall, and fight for others, even when the odds are stacked against you. When others insisted that Arizona farmworkers couldn’t successfully organize, telling her, “No, in Arizona, no se puede,” she responded, “No, in Arizona, sí se puede!” That was in 1972, and 54 years later, those words remain a rallying cry for all of us - ones we chanted together during her frequent visits to Tucson, a place that has benefited immensely from the fruits of her labor.
Dolores never wanted to claim credit or get recognition – she wanted to advance the fight for justice. Generations of Latinas, including myself, stand on Dolores’s shoulders and have had doors opened to them because of the glass ceilings she shattered. She was also a wonderful friend to the Grijalva family and was present for marches, demonstrations, and for some of the happiest and hardest times of our lives. When my dad passed away, Dolores was there for us. Her compassion and support meant more than words can express, and I will always carry that with me.
Dolores leaves behind a legacy of action, hope, resilience, and love. We are all part of that legacy, and the best way to honor her is to continue the fight she dedicated her life to.
May she rest in power. ¡Que viva Dolores Huerta!"
U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego: "Dolores Huerta was a true champion for civil rights, one of our nation’s greatest activists, and a pillar of our community.
Because of her advocacy, workers across the country have better pay, better working conditions, and better opportunities.
Dolores was a mentor and a friend who believed in me enough to chair my first campaign for the Arizona State House. She showed me and so many others that real change is possible. It’s on all of us to carry her legacy forward.
La lucha continúa. ¡Sí, se puede!"
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes: "Dolores Huerta dedicated her life to giving working families a voice and fighting for dignity, justice, and equality. Her legacy reminds us that ordinary people have the power to create extraordinary change. My deepest condolences to her family and loved ones."
