Dolores Huerta, co-founder of United Farm Workers union, dies aged 96, family says

Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers union (UFW) with Cesar Chavez, died on Wednesday at the age of 96. Her family announced her death in a statement. The Guardian and Reuters both reported the death, citing that statement.

According to The Guardian, Huerta died in California, and the family posted its statement on social media. The Guardian quoted the statement: "We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved mother, Dolores Huerta, has passed away today at the age of 96."

The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include a cause of death. They do not describe funeral or memorial arrangements.

A life in labour activism

According to The Guardian, Huerta was born in New Mexico in 1930. She followed her father, a miner and farm worker, into union activism. Reuters reported that she fought legislators and growers in the US to improve the lives of farm workers.

The Guardian reported that the UFW was credited with improving pay and conditions for agricultural workers through strikes, boycotts and protests in the 1960s and 1970s. It said Huerta is credited with coining the phrase "Si, se puede!" (yes, we can). The phrase became the UFW's slogan. Barack Obama adapted it for his 2008 presidential campaign.

According to The Guardian, Huerta also worked on several Democratic presidential campaigns. She helped Robert F. Kennedy secure the party's 1968 nomination before he was assassinated. She also aided the elections of Obama and Joe Biden.

In 2012, Obama gave Huerta and 12 other people a presidential civilian award at a White House ceremony, according to The Guardian. The newspaper named the award the "Presidential Medal of Honor" and described it as the highest civilian award in the US. The Guardian reported that six schools in California, Texas and Colorado are named after her.

According to The Guardian, Huerta had a long-term partnership with Chavez's brother, Richard. He died in 2011. They had four children together.

Allegation against Chavez

The Guardian reported that Huerta gave interviews to The New York Times. The interviews were published in March, one month before her 96th birthday. In them, she said Chavez had raped her. According to The Guardian, her account came as allegations emerged that Chavez had groomed and sexually abused a number of teenage girls. The reports do not identify who made those allegations. They also do not say whether the allegations were investigated or substantiated. Chavez died in 1993. The reports do not include any response from people representing Chavez or from the UFW.

What each side says

• Huerta's family asked for privacy while they grieve. They said they will follow up on plans to "recognize and celebrate her incredible life and legacy", as quoted by The Guardian.
• Huerta, according to The Guardian, told The New York Times that Chavez raped her in winter 1966 in a vehicle in a secluded California grape field, when she was 36. She told the Times she did not report it because authorities were hostile to the UFW and she feared nobody in the union would believe her.
• The UFW's website, as quoted by The Guardian, describes Huerta as Chavez's right hand who "could also be the greatest thorn in his side." The reports do not include a UFW statement on her death.

Analysis

Huerta's death comes months after her account that Chavez raped her. That timing may shape how her legacy, and the union's history, are discussed. Public tributes could focus on her decades of labour and political organising. Her allegation may also renew questions about how the movement's founding figures are remembered. Much remains unclear. The reports do not include a response from the UFW or from people representing Chavez. They do not say whether the separate allegations involving teenage girls have been examined. Statements from the union, and the family's planned commemorations, may show how these parts of the record are addressed.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.